Boss Rock Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Jay-Ishii is the A block ME, so it looks likely he wins the block. But stranger things have happened (2016). And Jay-EVIL seems more like a WK program, so it wouldn't surprise me if Jay lost in the finals or even lost the briefcase. Or he could win the whole thing. I guess we'll find out soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Man... I got home from work exactly in time to catch Ishii's entrance. Like it was fate or something. That match gave me a rare gift. Marking out, not for the quality of the work or the stiffness or the spots or whatever. Marking out because I really, really wanted this particular "good guy" to beat this particular "bad guy" on this particular night. Absolute f'n roller coaster ride. Even the Gedo stuff totally worked on me tonight. I was 100% losing it: SCREW YOU GEDO! LET'S GO ISHII!!!!! Oh boy was that fun. Cannot adequately express how much I enjoyed that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 So is Ibushi losing to EVIL or to SANADA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Without spoiling anything, Ospreay vs Okada had a twist I DEFINITELY did not see coming, and Ibushii vs Taichi Without Miho Abe was a genuinely unique pro wrestling match. This was another night of very good and entertaining stuff from A Block. Can't wait to read everyone's reactions to Ibushii vs Taichi, Okada vs Ospreay, and the Main Event. I've been popping like Orville Redenbacher all night here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NintendoLogic Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Cool. Another faction horseshitting up every single match with ref bumps and interference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makai Club #1 Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 The whole tournament I've been slightly ragging on Ishii for constantly doing his endless elbow exchange matches but then Taichi and Ibushi totally knock my sock off with their match. Kinda hypocritical I know but :P. Plus Ishii had a totally different match the aforementioned style of match he usually does. Okada vs Ospreay was pretty wicked as well. Ospreay has definitely brushed up on his Marufuji tape watching. Oka (O-Kharn) returning to New Japan is exciting and I'm keen on seeing a fresh Ospreay. But the angle itself was a little flat. And oh, IBUSHI IN THE FINALS! All in all this was an awesome show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 The Ospreay turn was interesting. New Japan badly needed a fresh faction, so him leading a small group could work. Felt a bit like Naito slowly creating LIJ. Really loved the finishing stretch of the main event, with it feeling so obvious that Jay was going to be the winner and then Tomo pulling through (and then casually walking to the back like a badass). Still think Jay might win the briefcase from Ibushi at Power Struggle or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 I have absolutely no idea what is going down on Sunday. Did not see Ibushi coming out of the A block under any circumstances after toiling in the tag division all year without even a tease of something more. Naito/Ibushi for the big show? Sure, why not. Presumably they'll run the Dome although who knows how that works with COVID and the expenses associated with running the building given limited capacity. Just please, please keep Evil and Sanada away from the briefcase. I can live with anything else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 Only caught the main event and Osprea-Okada, both of which were very good to great. Seems like Jay is turning face, although a face turn just because BC betrays him seems kinda weak. Ibushi advancing was definitely shocking but I'm here for it. I really want him to get his title run even though him vs. Tanahashi seemed a much more likely program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted October 16, 2020 Report Share Posted October 16, 2020 10 hours ago, gordi said: Man... I got home from work exactly in time to catch Ishii's entrance. Like it was fate or something. That match gave me a rare gift. Marking out, not for the quality of the work or the stiffness or the spots or whatever. Marking out because I really, really wanted this particular "good guy" to beat this particular "bad guy" on this particular night. Absolute f'n roller coaster ride. Even the Gedo stuff totally worked on me tonight. I was 100% losing it: SCREW YOU GEDO! LET'S GO ISHII!!!!! Oh boy was that fun. Cannot adequately express how much I enjoyed that. Oh yeah, this was tremendouss. Proof that Ishii can do more than just back-and-forth slugfests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted October 17, 2020 Report Share Posted October 17, 2020 Finished the rest of the A block and it was another great show. Suzuki-Shingo was pretty much what you'd expect with the nice wrinkle of arm work. Ultimately not as good as their Jingu match but still good. Ibushi-Taichi was basically them seeing the Sasaki-Kobashi chop sequence and saying "Yeah, let's do that for 17 minutes but instead of chops, let's do kicks". Very unique match and both guys did a tremendous job selling the damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted October 17, 2020 Report Share Posted October 17, 2020 Tonight, I believe that EVIL vs SANADA is going on last. If Naito wins the semi-main then SANADA can only play spoiler. If KENTA beats Naito, then the winner of the main goes to the finals. Naito needs a win and a SANADA victory. For me, Naito would be the most satisfying winner, and EVIL the least satisfying. So, I will genuinely be pulling for Naito, then regardless of how that goes I'll be pulling for SANADA. It's likely I'll be genuinely marking out for two long matches tonight. Looking forward to that! I'll be totally deflated if EVIL wins... But then I'll be marking out for Spoiler Ibushi tomorrow evening anyway. Spoiler I wonder if Ibushi having been kicked in the leg again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again will factor into the story of the finals at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted October 17, 2020 Report Share Posted October 17, 2020 So the finals are set. I was way off in my predictions, but am pleasantly surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted October 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2020 I don't hate Sanada by any means but he's had such an underwhelming tournament for someone going to the finals. If Tama Tonga had his tournament and finished on 6 points you'd say he had a nice campaign. But you're meant to be a main event star. Have some energy! I know they want to push the guy and have been elevating him, and that most of this year's top angles have been centred around LIJ so he might be the favourite, but I really hope Ibushi smacks this dork with a hard knee tomorrow and sends him back to the midcard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 Full card for the finals has been released: https://www.njpw1972.com/83035 Stoked for the Handsome Battle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Migs Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 Very worried that they may be setting up another Naito-EVIL match, although I think it may be a three-way with Kenta to further the Bullet Club in disarray thing. That would at least be different, I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 SANADA's been extremely hit or miss for me, but the guy is rather over and I know his feud with Okada drew well so I understand why he's getting this push. But I agree in Ibushi needing to be the one to win this. And as much as I really don't want to see another Naito-EVIL match, it would at least be just a stopgap until the Dome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 While the worst final since Tanahashi Vs Naito in 2013, this was still a great match with an insane finishing run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordi Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 It's almost a relief that the G1 is over. I enjoyed the hell out of that but I think one more week might have burned me out. Not sure what I'll do with my extra free time next week. Been a pleasure watching and discussing with all y'all. Personally, I think I'll mostly stick to AEW between now and WK, but who knows - maybe the combined BOSJ and Tag Tournament will drag me back in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WingedEagle Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 I stayed offline until getting a chance to watch the show unspoiled this afternoon and did not expect to find myself the high man on the main event. I absolutely loved this match. The first 25 minutes flew by while trying to put over Sanada as a striker capitalizing on Ibushi's injured leg, and also how the bad leg weakened Ibushi's overall offense. The stretch run is what happens when a New Japan main event clicks with great timing, counters and near falls. The added wrinkle here was the use of cradles for some insane kickouts rather than heavyily relying on finishers. Did I love the match because I expected Sanada to win and generally find his work to be incredibly vanilla except when carried by an Okada or Tanahashi? Perhaps. But whatever the reasons I was biting at every near fall down the stretch and thought they efficiently and logically built to what they pulled off there. Hell of a match and among the 2-3 best in the entire tourney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMKK Posted October 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 It was a weird final for me. Like WingedEagle said, I couldn't believe it when I heard the 25 minute call but idk if that's because it didn't feel that long or because they hadn't kicked into the higher gear you'd expect. Again, it's been said elsewhere that the finishing run was very exciting, especially with Ibushi doing the latest kick out of all time. I think it was like **** or maybe ****1/4 which is really good but a bit below what these finals usually are. I thought it was an incredible Kota Ibushi performance and Sanada was Sanada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kas Posted October 18, 2020 Report Share Posted October 18, 2020 I fully agree, 4.25 is a good rating for it I think. I'm higher on SANADA than most so I think he's had quite a few better matches, but it was still a great final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss Rock Posted October 19, 2020 Report Share Posted October 19, 2020 I went 4. I still haven't seen the Tana-Naito final from 2013, but this was probably the worst of the Bushiroad era IMO. Still a good final and it breezed by considering the length. For some reason it just felt a bit anticlimactic. I'm glad Ibushi won but he still felt like a dark horse this whole tournament. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted October 20, 2020 Report Share Posted October 20, 2020 On 9/17/2020 at 12:54 AM, El-P said: I'd go for Ibushi too. And I was right. I was soooo glad when SANADA beat EVIL, so I guess Gedo's booking worked his magic well once again and all the bullshit did kinda played off, but honestly I found the EVIL stuff so tiring and predictable. I really enjoy SANADA, but I wonder if he's not gonna be this generation's Goto. The good worker who can slip in a few great wins and a bunch of great matches with the right opponent, but who will never get to the top. Between the final, the Suzuki, the Ishii and the Tacihi (fuck me that was another kind of awesome) matches, Ibushi clearly was the star of the show and his win was well deserved. The Ospreay heel turn I like, it was cool to have Bea out there. Great O Khan.... well, let's see how good the guy is, but I can't say I'm jumping in the air with excitement at the prospect of another gimmicky guy (but maybe it is because the guy isn't that great so the gimmick will help him). I hope we get some straight-up *pro-wrestlers* from the guy coming back from excursions, this is kinda missing from current NJPW where everyone is seemingly forced to be in a faction and have some funky gimmick now. Great G1 thanks to the A Block and booking magic (the intrigue of the last two days really worked for me). Glad it's over like every year, as it leaves me kinda burn out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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