All Things G1

[Bort]

Gonna try my best to post lazy ass reviews for each show. Feel free to join me pls.

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/21)


1. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Tomohiro Ishii

I loved this, such a swell “irresistible force vs. immovable object” story, with Ishii being an underdog again, but also being tough enough to bring Fale down, to make him – resistible. Hard-hitting match, nasty lariats and vicious headbutts, you know it. By leaps and bounds, Fale is the most improved wrestler of the year, I’m really enjoying the big push he’s getting.

***3/4


2. Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Shelton Benjamin

Fuck me, another Shelton Benjamin match from 2014 I enjoyed. It’s hard for two heel gaijins to make things work when they’re wrestling each other, so this was a tremendously tough task. They made it work, though, by creating simple dynamics with Doc working as a big badass brawler, and Benjamin working from behind by relying on big hope spots. The crowd recognized it too, and I fucking adored the finish. By the way, the match was very rough and stiff, Doc was throwing some gnarly punches.

***1/2


3. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Never doubt Tenzan. Seriously, I was in awe here, such a feelgood match, to see Tenzan going like it’s 2004… chills. Very good match right here, with zero dull moments and some awesome taunts. Small things, that’s it, that’s what makes me a happy camper.

***1/2


4. Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Satoshi Kojima

To be frank, I was quite surprised to witness the severe lack of praise for this one, because it rocked. What we got here is two veterans laying heavy smacks at each other for eleven straight minutes, like it’s nothing, like they’re in their twenties. Awesome crowd reactions, frantic pace, smart work, killer finish, I seriously loved this. What is wrong with everyone?

****


5. Block B: Minoru Suzuki vs. Toru Yano

This never-ending feud needs to be killed with fire. I’ve lost a track on this shit months ago, how many times will Yano embarrass MiSu? At least they kept it very short, kudos there.

bad


6. Block B: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito

These two are never gonna bust out a four star classic, I’ve made my amends with that fact long time ago. This is the maximum, I guess, because after all, Naito is not a wizard like Ishii to carry Yujiro to a MOTYC. Yujiro has become very reckless in the ring lately, he almost broke Naito’s neck here. First Ishii (twice), and now this. Well, at least his new finisher looks fine and dandy.

***1/4


7. Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Togi Makabe

They carried over the heat from the tag feud they have/had, and it was all good stuff. Intensity, organic feeling, nasty suplexes and lariats… goodies everywhere. Makabe is just ridiculously over everywhere.

***3/4


8. Block A: Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

MOTN, and a very strong MOTYC. I’m insanely high on this match, I’m telling you. Honma > > > Ibushi, and it showed here. And I’m an Ibushi fan. No one books underdogs better than New Japan, the crowd is extremely pro-Honma, and the GOAT Tanahashi recognizes it, and heels it up. Taunts, teases and build everywhere. Hot finishing run, yada-yada-yada, a fucking excellent match.

****1/2


9. Block A: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

So, I see many polarizing thoughts on this one. I, for one, loved it. First few minutes were all about fake calmness and smartass psychology, it was just a matter of time before someone snaps and goes all out HAM. One might criticize Shibata’s partial lack of focus and structure here, but you can go the other way too – he just grabs whatever he can, whether it’s a leg, or arm, or neck, it doesn’t matter. Shinsuke’s selling of slams, suplexes and vicious strikes was sublime, and they were throwing in a lot of elements from the decade ago, as well as from the 80s. I can totally see why would others dislike this, but I hope they see why many of us dig the match. If Shibata were more focused and coherent in the early stages, and if Shinsuke sold his leg for few moments, this would’ve been a MOTYC.

***3/4


10. Block B: AJ Styles vs. Kazuchika Okada

Aaaaand Yujiro wins the award for the most useless fucking interference of the year. Without it, the match could’ve been borderline great, instead of being just good. We already got the good, twice. Shame, really shame, this way we got at least six or seven matches better than this one.

***1/4


Very strong opening day, super promising, enjoyed the show tremendously.​

 

[Bort]

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/23)


1. Block A: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Satoshi Kojima

This was pretty crazy, and their best match together, yes, even better than the NJC 2013 opener. Kojima is 43, Ishii is almost 40 (shocking, yes), but they were bumping like madmen right, left and centre here, like they were some green ass rookies with a chip on their shoulder, shit was impressive. I’m such a sucker for these 10 minute long sprints with fast pace and heavy smacks. Jesus, they were hitting each other hard. From a kayfabe perspective, Kojima made a colossal mistake by letting Ishii dictate the rollercoaster pace. It worked against physically more limited Nagata, but this Ishii fella is just something else.

****


2. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Shelton Benjamin

The NJC semi-finals rematch, this one was short as well. The story I got from this one is that Shelton gained tremendous confidence from the Gallows victory, so he was able to dismantle Fale’s pacing here, he caught him off guard with the hard-hitting blows. Quite back-and-forth action, and in the finishing stretch Fale made a mistake by not hitting Shelton with a Samoan spike as a prep for the Bad Luck Fall, and he screwed himself hard that way. Yet another stiff and super effective superkick + Paydirt finishing combo from Shelton, I’m digging it. Two days of the G1, two wins for Shelton against the Bullet Club giants.

***


3. Block B: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hirooki Goto

Had no interest in this whatsoever, but shit, I’m glad I watched because it was super sweet, almost great. Judging by these two days of the tournament, it looks like they found a perfect and simple formula to make Goto’s stuff much more interesting and compelling, and that’s working from behind where he gets dominated which builds to hard-hitting comeback spots. It really did wonders for him here, and Yujiro gets big credit too, for being a relentless prick and putting Goto over as a FIP. Shockingly very good.

***3/4


4. Block B: Lance Archer vs. Tetsuya Naito

Joys and sweetness everywhere, oh dear… This was one hella 8 min long sprint with simple and effective big man vs. small(er) man formula that worked like a motherfucker. Tons of cool moves and counters; slick combos by Naito, grumpy smacks by Archer, such a cool little match.

***3/4


5. Block A: Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata

Very similar to Ishii/Kojima in terms of smashmouth style and pacing, with hellish blows and awesome… awesomeness. HONMA~!

***3/4


6. Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Much better than their NJC match, but still not particularly good. Good enough, yes, but not very good, which is a shame because their encounters from the last year rocked. Technically and execution wise, this was almost flawless, but from an emotional side, the first half was quite dry, sometimes even bland. However, the second half has many cool moments that elevated the match to an acceptable territory. Btw, I’m all for goofiness, but Davey Boy’s facial expressions are just way too much these days, he’s trying too hard, and it doesn’t work, at all.

***1/4


7. Block B: AJ Styles vs. Toru Yano

Solid, fun match, but not good, although the character and ring style differences in dynamics were very interesting, but hey, isn’t that the case with almost every YTR match? I’d rate the match higher if Styles bothered to hit Yano with something else before executing him with the Styles Clash, you know, that move Tanahashi uses as a transitional move. I know Yano is low on the totem pole, but I doubt Tanahashi would defeat him with the Styles Clash. Eh, maybe it’s that thing where many wrestlers use lariato, but only some of them use it “properly”, aka in a decapitating fashion.

**3/4


8. Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Tenzan’s best match in years, and you wanna know the best part? He wasn’t carried to it, just like he wasn’t carried to it by Karl two days before. Coincidence? I think not. He looks and moves very well, is motivated, but for fuck’s sake, he needs to stop missing those knee crushing moonsaults, I cringe every damn time. Same with Naito and Makabe. Stay safe, fellas. Okada? Oh yes, he was class too, but you already knew that.

***3/4


9. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Togi Makabe

Makabe’s astonishing charisma and overness aside, this was not good. While I greatly appreciated the story continuity with Makabe’s injured jaw, which he sold very well, I just wasn’t a fan of Makabe kicking out of the Super Gun Stun only to win the match one minute later, it simply didn’t click with me, and that’s the reason why I don’t think highly of this. Solid, but not good.

**3/4


10. Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Doc’s pants = five stars and more! This was a very enjoyable main event, where they got the most out of the basic setup and storytelling, it was simple and effective (I know that phrase gets repetitive, but it is what it is). It worked because Tanahashi translates his immense charisma into matches like almost no one else, and Gallows is an awesome brawler, traditional dirty style from America. He used nice shortcuts to gain control, such as pulling the Ace’s hair, and stuff like that. Doc’s palm strikes look and sound quite vicious, it meshes so well with Japanese dudes. Tanahashi’s underdogish taunts were awesome, he also bumped and sold for Gallows properly, and there was a 19 count spot with a nice twist. Since the match was only 11 minutes long, they skipped a phase or two in the climax, but it didn’t hurt the match at all. Long story short, this was a totally fine main event.

***3/4


Another strong show, you know shit’s great when an opener is your MOTN, and the show still never misses a beat or falls off. JOY~!
​

 

[Red Rain]

Very technical reviews. No bias', critical enough and no mark out moments. Good work Triple C

 

[Roadster]

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/23)


1. Block A: Tomohiro Ishii vs. vs. Satoshi Kojima

This was pretty crazy, and their best match together, yes, even better than the NJC 2013 opener. Kojima is 43, Ishii is almost 40 (shocking, yes), but they were bumping like madmen right, left and centre here, like they were some green ass rookies with a chip on their shoulder, shit was impressive. I’m such a sucker for these 10 minute long sprints with fast pace and heavy smacks. Jesus, they were hitting each other hard. From a kayfabe perspective, Kojima made a colossal mistake by letting Ishii dictate the rollercoaster pace. It worked against physically more limited Nagata, but this Ishii fella is just something else.

****


2. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Shelton Benjamin

The NJC semi-finals rematch, this one was short as well. The story I got from this one is that Shelton gained tremendous confidence from the Gallows victory, so he was able to dismantle Fale’s pacing here, he caught him off guard with the hard-hitting blows. Quite back-and-forth action, and in the finishing stretch Fale made a mistake by not hitting Shelton with a Samoan spike as a prep for the Bad Luck Fall, and he screwed himself hard that way. Yet another stiff and super effective superkick + Paydirt finishing combo from Shelton, I’m digging it. Two days of the G1, two wins for Shelton against the Bullet Club giants.

***


3. Block B: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hirooki Goto

Had no interest in this whatsoever, but shit, I’m glad I watched because it was super sweet, almost great. Judging by these two days of the tournament, it looks like they found a perfect and simple formula to make Goto’s stuff much more interesting and compelling, and that’s working from behind where he gets dominated which builds to hard-hitting comeback spots. It really did wonders for him here, and Yujiro gets big credit too, for being a relentless prick and putting Goto over as a FIP. Shockingly very good.

***3/4


4. Block B: Lance Archer vs. Tetsuya Naito

Joys and sweetness everywhere, oh dear… This was one hella 8 min long sprint with simple and effective big man vs. small(er) man formula that worked like a motherfucker. Tons of cool moves and counters; slick combos by Naito, grumpy smacks by Archer, such a cool little match.

***3/4


5. Block A: Tomoaki Honma vs. Yuji Nagata

Very similar to Ishii/Kojima in terms of smashmouth style and pacing, with hellish blows and awesome… awesomeness. HONMA~!

***3/4


6. Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Much better than their NJC match, but still not particularly good. Good enough, yes, but not very good, which is a shame because their encounters from the last year rocked. Technically and execution wise, this was almost flawless, but from an emotional side, the first half was quite dry, sometimes even bland. However, the second half has many cool moments that elevated the match to an acceptable territory. Btw, I’m all for goofiness, but Davey Boy’s facial expressions are just way too much these days, he’s trying too hard, and it doesn’t work, at all.

***1/4


7. Block B: AJ Styles vs. Toru Yano

Solid, fun match, but not good, although the character and ring style differences in dynamics were very interesting, but hey, isn’t that the case with almost every YTR match? I’d rate the match higher if Styles bothered to hit Yano with something else before executing him with the Styles Clash, you know, that move Tanahashi uses as a transitional move. I know Yano is low on the totem pole, but I doubt Tanahashi would defeat him with the Styles Clash. Eh, maybe it’s that thing where many wrestlers use lariato, but only some of them use it “properly”, aka in a decapitating fashion.

**3/4


8. Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Tenzan’s best match in years, and you wanna know the best part? He wasn’t carried to it, just like he wasn’t carried to it by Karl two days before. Coincidence? I think not. He looks and moves very well, is motivated, but for fuck’s sake, he needs to stop missing those knee crushing moonsaults, I cringe every damn time. Same with Naito and Makabe. Stay safe, fellas. Okada? Oh yes, he was class too, but you already knew that.

***3/4


9. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Togi Makabe

Makabe’s astonishing charisma and overness aside, this was not good. While I greatly appreciated the story continuity with Makabe’s injured jaw, which he sold very well, I just wasn’t a fan of Makabe kicking out of the Super Gun Stun only to win the match one minute later, it simply didn’t click with me, and that’s the reason why I don’t think highly of this. Solid, but not good.

**3/4


10. Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Doc’s pants = five stars and more! This was a very enjoyable main event, where they got the most out of the basic setup and storytelling, it was simple and effective (I know that phrase gets repetitive, but it is what it is). It worked because Tanahashi translates his immense charisma into matches like almost no one else, and Gallows is an awesome brawler, traditional dirty style from America. He used nice shortcuts to gain control, such as pulling the Ace’s hair, and stuff like that. Doc’s palm strikes look and sound quite vicious, it meshes so well with Japanese dudes. Tanahashi’s underdogish taunts were awesome, he also bumped and sold for Gallows properly, and there was a 19 count spot with a nice twist. Since the match was only 11 minutes long, they skipped a phase or two in the climax, but it didn’t hurt the match at all. Long story short, this was a totally fine main event.

***3/4


Another strong show, you know shit’s great when an opener is your MOTN, and the show still never misses a beat or falls off. JOY~!
​

Should join the Writers group and you can make full articles on these. Good stuff NTL.

 

[Bort]

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/25)


1. Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Tomoaki Honma

Both guys are 0-2 going into this one, so it’s serious business. Honma’s underdog glow glows yet again, this times against a dirty American roughhouse. I see many people didn’t dig this match, but fuck me if I know what they were watching, tbf. The story was poignant, and I’m a sucker for a good underdog flash, and Doc’s combo of power moves and stiff brawling was excellent.

***3/4


2. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Lance Archer

Chris Sabin’s Big Brother, aka Lance Archer, has those all sorts of cool early 90s WCW jobber tights. Good match, tbf, and I didn’t expect much from it considering it was two gaijin heels wrestling, but they did fine. Lance played a face, kind of, because no one’s rooting for Bullet Club, no way, so Lance is automatically cheered for. Good match, like I said, Karl attacked Archer’s legs in order to bring the tall man down, he also used his shameless RKO impression, hehe, there were some cool reversals in the finishing run, all in all – fun match.

***


3. Block B: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Tenzan’s working one helluva tournament thus far, considering his age and history of body crushing. Also, Yujiro has improved recently, mos def. This was a good match with Yujiro being a pushy aggressor and Tenzan hitting his comeback spots, dude’s very over with the crowds. The finishing stretch was very exciting, Tenzan’s use of submission holds is so smart and compact. Surprisingly (or not?) good.

***1/4


4. Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Benjamin is 2-0 going into this one, and he’s gained big confidence, so naturally he won’t let Ishii run through him with his rabid roughness. Instead, Shelton is the one trying to dictate the pace, and is not afraid to go batshit crazy. Can he score another upset, or is Ishii just too much this time? Smashing little sprint.

***1/2


5. Block B: Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito

Similar to Yano/Styles, this was quite a clash of styles, but executed much better. Yano’s primal tactic is to troll Naito to death, obviously. But Naito is not a sucker, so shit is on. However, Yano throws a chair right across his poster boy face and busts him open. So, Naito’s juicing now, and it leads us to a very good face-in-peril session with Yano dominating and Naito surviving, it made the match very organic. Pretty nice match-up.

***3/4


6. Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata

I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed this. Davey Boy knew things have to be done, because he lost against Nakamura, and is now wrestling a guy who defeated that same Nakamura, so the logic 101 says he has to focus like a motherfucker, no goofing around, just business. This was very shooty and slick, filled with careful and defensive wrestling, and with some nice counters and stuff, kind of reminded me on Ikeda/Honda back from NOAH 2001.

***3/4


7. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Yuji Nagata

These Fale matches are slow and methodical, I understand they’re not for everyone, but I quite like them. Fale is a big guy, but Nagata knows how to deal with those types (Takayama, Bernard, Morishima, etc), he’s not scared at all, he’s there to hit hard and give his best. But Fale is on the roll, he’s scored some major wins this year, and is looking to bounce back after the shocking Benjamin loss.

***


8. Block B: Minoru Suzuki vs. Hirooki Goto

Solid, but not good. It pains me to say Yujiro was a much better aggressor to Goto than MiSu was. The match was short, but still managed to drag in some parts, plus there was a stupid TAKA interference. At least Goto’s Shiki roll-up for the win was glorious.

**3/4


9. Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Nifty match-up, and the best thing about it? They worked a bare minimum of what their chemistry is able to provide us. I know Kojima is miles away from main event scene nowadays, but I wouldn’t mind seeing these two headlining a big show one more time to rock the world.

***1/2


10. Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Togi Makabe

These two have incredible chemistry together, just check the two bonafide classics for the last year, Dominion and G1, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. This one was no exception either, just a super sweet main event with Makabe still struggling with his injured jaw, and Okada taking advantage over it. Tons of manliness, teasing and cool counter attacks, plus Okada’s busting out high angle Germans on a more regular basis now, fuck yes.

****1/4


Well, the worst match was Suzuki/Goto, which was still solid, so there you go. Main event was great, and the rest was all good stuff.
​

 

[Shadie T]

Has anything been worth a watch? Barely care about wrestling so I aint watching the crap.

 

[Stopspot]

Has anything been worth a watch? Barely care about wrestling so I aint watching the crap.

The entire tournament. Very strong tournament so far. Not a match worth skipping imo.

 

[Bort]

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/26)


1. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Satoshi Kojima

Quite similar to Fale/Nagata, a good little match with a seasoned veteran trying to hang with younger generation, although Fale detractors will probably dislike it. Kojima is aging tremendously well. He’s also crazy over.

***


2. Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Shelton Benjamin

The match had its moments, such as the opening minute or two, and another cool finishing combo by Shelton, but overall – it was bad and kind of dull. What killed it for me was Davey Boy completely ignoring the face that Shelton had him in ankle lock for about a minute, totally bad and ignorant selling right there. But Shelton is 4-0 now, bitches!

bad


3. Block B: Minoru Suzuki vs. vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Two veterans exchanging stiff blows and holds, but MiSu has to take it one step further considering he’s 0-2. Good match with even better finish. Tenzan overdelivers once again.

***1/4


4. Block B: Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto

Goto is 3-0 going into this one, but can he survive Yano’s gaga shenanigans? Beware of low blows, Goto. Too short to rate.

N/A


5. Block A: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tomoaki Honma

Sweet fucking Jesus, this was insane. Ishii’s head bouncing up and down during that DDT… it was almost too much. There were tons of manliness, roughness, excitement and drama, these two fucking killed each other. Motherfucker! I can’t even imagine the physical toll something like this takes on their bodies, mad fucking respect for both warriors.

****3/4


6. Block B: Lance Archer vs. Togi Makabe​

Makabe’s injured jaw came into play in all three previous matches, but strangely, not in this one. Shame, because the match needed more color, mos def. Decent, but totally forgettable.

**1/2


7. Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yuji Nagata

Nagata’s having a corking veteran year, he stepped the fuck up here, an excellent veteran underdog performance, he held nothing back against Shinsuke, very stiff stuff. The finishing stretch was neat.

***3/4


8. Block B: AJ Styles vs. Tetsuya Naito

This match should be considered an instant classic, it blew my fucking mind, man. Never thought I’d witness AJ digging out his inner Stan Hansen and Terry Funk in a pro-wrestling match. LOVED IT. Seriously, he was THAT phenomenal. Naito’s carved forehead came into play big time, and AJ took an enormous advantage on it, it was fantastic, such a tremendous heel performance for AJ, really helped to put Naito over with constant cut-offs every time he attempts a heroic comeback. I reckon this performance, this match right here did wonders for Naito. And you know what the best thing is? They didn’t even blow all of their load, there’s a lot of room for a potential rematch that could get full fucking boat. This was crazy good.

****3/4


9. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada

Karl is 0-3, Okada is 3-0 going into the match. Naturally, Karl is trying to take as many shortcuts as possible, which bring big heel heat on him, and Okada was crazy over already. Pretty good back-and-forth stuff some really nasty smacks thrown around, i.e. Okada’s head-sweeping dropkick. The last minute was buggy with all them counters, which has become a very positive trend in Karl Anderson matches.

***1/2


10. Block A: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Now, I don’t know how many of you know the backstory for this match, but nvm, it’s basically two dudes hating (or strongly disliking at least) each other for various reasons, and each dude hates other dude’s puroresu with passion. And of course it comes into play for the whole duration of the match, I could list you so many situations and details that were grandiose, but it’d be kind of futile, I’ll just say the match was fucking great, with many heavy smacks thrown around, and contains quite possibly the greatest post-match selling in a VERY long time.

****1/4


The event had a hiccup or two, but who fucking cares when we got THOSE matches?!
​

 

[Red Rain]

Benjamin has to be one of my top 10 pure american wrestlers. The guy hasn't lost it.

 

[Forrest OAKADA]

Benjamin getting a push...doubt he'll win it but the way I see it, He has a chance.

Need to watch G1 when I get a chance.

Sent from a $5 Gym

 

[Stopspot]

Makabe broke his jaw and is out for G1. Tanahashi also was in the hospital with neck problems. No word if he'll be out.

Source: Wrestling Observer.


DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN

 

[Bort]

Check more legit sources pls. Makabe's been struggling with the jaw injury since that Best Friends tag and the head-crushing Battlarts kick from Goto, it's nothing new, and BIG DAVE fucked up the news.

Tanahashi goes to doctors after every 1-on-1 match, so again, nothing new there.

 

[Bort]

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/28)


1. Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Tomohiro Ishii

What a phenomenal freakin’ opener! An 8 minute sprint worked in a rollercoaster pace, loaded with smashmouth style, rabid bashing, excitement and drama. This was an Ishii structure, through and through, put that man in opening matches, and you have the crowd going bonkers for everything else later on.

****1/4


2. Block B: Lance Archer vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Archer’s got his space jobber tights back, hell yeah. This was such a fine opener, like, I can’t even grasp it yet, I knew it’d be solid at least, but damn it, they overdelivered. Getting more ringtime to develop a story certainly helped, mos def. Tenzan’s on a highly praised, standout veteran run in this year’s G1, he seems crazy motivated and ready, he’s also in a fit shape and not afraid of heavy bumping. That being said, he needs to stop doing those knee-crushing moonsaults, for his own damn sake. And, what about Chris Sabin’s Big Brother? Yeah, this New Japan run has done wonderful wonders for his body of work, he’s turned into such a versatile big man wrestler.

***1/2


3. Block B: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Satoshi Kojima

Now, I don’t really know what to write about this match, because nothing really memorable happened, just 10-11 minutes of good pro-wrestling, with both guys playing their characters very well. Another very strong finish, compelling stuff.

***


4. Block A: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki

Are you a fan of seeing Yujiro get smacked and slapped around? Because I sure as hell am! MiSu is still pissed and it’s bad news for the Bullet Club sellout. Strong match with an even stronger finish, really liked it. MiSu’s furious goblin face > > >

***1/2


5. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Toru Yano

Funny as hell, this match right here, this was comedy done right, Karl was taunting and abusing YTR for the whole time, stealing his shtick and making everyone laugh. But, is it enough to survive Yano’s deadly low blow + sloppy roll-up combination?

GOLD


6. Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Such a swell match, Shelton’s confidence is at all time high due to being 4-0, and fuck it, you can say the same about Shibata after beating both Nakamura and Tanahashi. Shibata is such a rough fella, but Shelton is here to fight, and dammit, that’s what we got, a stiff and exciting match that helped both in the end – Shibata got even more over, and Shelton didn’t lose his mojo despite the loss. Fantastic selling of each other’s devastating finishers (Paydirt and Penalty Kick), it was like death knocking on their doors. Recommended stuff.

***3/4


7. Block B: AJ Styles vs. vs. Hirooki Goto

Totally different than the Naito brilliance, but still pretty damn great in its own way, AJ’s heel work was top notch yet again, and on top of that, dude’s getting some serious love from the crowds, hell, I even heard clear dueling chants, mos def. They’re recognizing AJ’s greatness. Anyway, this was another one of those matches where you can’t really pick that one moment or two (Goto’s Code Red maybe?) and put it on paper to ramble about it, I mean, words can’t do it justice, you just have to check the match, it’s quite awesome. I guess I could mention both guys working each other’s neck really hard to setup their respective finishers.

****


8. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

What we got here is the BITW Tanahashi taking on the most improved wrestler of the year, a fairly big fella. The story writes itself, really, and it’s just so good. Impressive sprint with many nifty moments.

***3/4


9. Block A: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tomoaki Honma

Honma’s “weakest” match of the tournament thus far, and it’s still very good. ‘Nuff said. Nice battle of psychologies here.

***1/2


10. Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tetsuya Naito

High-octane, slick, stiff, physical, energetic, and all that in a very fast pace, yes, this was the match they should’ve had at Wrestle Kingdom, instead of that flop they worked. This rocked.

****1/4


The show where EVERYTHING was good at worst, so there you go. G1 is BOSS.
​

 

[Bort]

G1 Climax 24

(2014/7/31)


1. Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Doc Gallows

Unfortunately, this sucked. Sure, it wasn’t a DUD, but it was bad nevertheless. Both guys are big ass villains from Bullet Club, and the crowd was dead silent, no one was worth rooting for. Just a bad pro-wrestling match.

bad


2. Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Yuji Nagata

The crowd was tough here, but mad, mad props to Nagata for waking them up in the second half. As for the match itself, eh, solid stuff, nothing particularly memorable or must-see, just decent pro-wrestling.

**1/2


3. Block B: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Togi Makabe

These two had a solid feud last year, but this was not good. Sure, it had the focused story of Makabe struggling with the injured jaw, Yujiro taking advantage of it to build for Makabe’s hope spots, and so on, but there was just something missing, that “it” factor, that color that makes for good matches.

**1/4


4. Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Katsuyori Shibata

There’s a running theme in Shibata matches that I really dig – if you want to execute your signature moves and combos, then you have to upgrade your game for a level or two, otherwise you’re fucked in the ass. And to be frank, this might be the match where that theme got expressed in its truest fashion. Kojima was trying, but in the end, he failed to step up, and paid the deadly price. Great sprint, great match.

****


5. Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Hirooki Goto

Decent match, but in the end, forgettable and skippable. The wrestling was solid for the most part, but not particularly memorable or organic to care about, the only thing that was really good was the last minute where they were countering everything, those were cool visuals, so there you go, I’ll be remembering the finish at least.

**3/4


6. Block B: Lance Archer vs. Minoru Suzuki

So, MiSu is an ace, but you already knew that. He goes after his SZKG mate’s leg and makes it a focal point of the match, simple and cool strategy, but Archer barely fucking sells it, which brought the match down, significantly, because it’d be really fucking good, but this way it’s just… solid. MiSu being a fucking ace he is, saves the match from total mediocrity by creating another stellar finishing run, and, of course, his angry goblin face tells the entire story.

**3/4


7. Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Benjamin is pissed off for having his winning streak broken, so he wants to make sure not to fail again, he targets Nakamura’s leg relentlessly, which was a nice focus from Shelton, and just goes after it, really cool to see. Nakamura sold it perfectly DURING the workovers, but not so much when it was time for him to hit the comeback spots. However, post-match selling is extremely important in puroresu, Shinsuke was letting us know his leg is in big pain, it’s just that he got hit by adrenaline rush to fight through pain. Very good match.

***1/2


8. Block B: AJ Styles vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

Aaaaand, this wonderful Tenzan redemption journey continues! Yet another good match and good performance by the good old Bull. Of course, Styles is a fucking BOSS too, it takes two to tango. Good shit.

***1/2


9. Block B: Toru Yano vs. Kazuchika Okada

These Yano matches, man, you know exactly what you’ll get, but they’re still fun and… fresh. Yes, fresh, no kidding. He knows, logically, he stands no chance against Rainmaker, so he cheats right, left and centre, but Okada is just too smart… or is he? Finishing stretch was superb.

***1/4


10. Block A: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

These two gladiators, they did it again, an excellent match, alls I’m sayin, I don’t really feel like writing much about this one, hopefully those four snowflakes down under can tell you everything. The match was rough and well paced, manliness 101, and they also added some neat twists, especially Tanahashi in the end.

****


The weakest event of the tournament so far, but still had two great matches, and three good ones. Sweet.
​

 

[Stopspot]

Styles vs Suzuki from day 7 was fucking fantastic. I ate it up.