Now we are on to the final leg of the group stages of NJPW’s premiere annual Tournament, the G1 Climax, with only three remaining matches heading into night 13 and 14. Will we finally see the group leaders pull away from the rest of group. As Block A stands, prior to night 13 Ibushi, Okada, Ospreay and White are all on 8 points. Taichi, Cobb, Shingo, Tomohiro and Suzuki have 6 points and at the bottom with 0 points is Yujiro Takahashi. Naito leads Block B with 10 points, Evil is right behind him on 8 Points. Goto, Sanada, Sabre Jr, Yano, Juice and Tanahashi all have 6 points, on 4 Points is Kenta and Yoshi-Hashi is at the bottom of the group with 2 points.
Night 13 Block A
There are plenty of Critical clashes on tap for Night 13, the young lions Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura clash for the fourth time on this tour. In the Main event Okada and Tagaki clash for the first time in a singles match, if Okada can win this match he’ll create a points gap that should eliminate Tagaki from contention, there are similar stakes in the match between Taichi and Ospreay. A heavyweight clash between Tomohiro Ishii and Jeff Cobb, who ever wins will still have a chance of advancing whilst the loser will affectivity be out of the running. Ibushi has chance to stay at the top of the group but he has to face off against Suzuki who is needing to win to stay in with shot of advancing. Jay White faces off with his Bullet Club stable mate Yujiro, no doubt expecting his stable mate to lay down for him so he can stay at the top and Yujiro has no hopes of advancing.
Yota Tsuji Vs Yuya Uemura
Yuya Uemura defeated Yota Tsuji by Pin fall
Tsuji would try to out-muscle Uemura as the stronger of the pair but Uemura would out work Tsuji with his technical wrestling, as well as being the more aggressive of two, they battled like true pros. In a fantastic finish Uemura would trap Tsuji’s arms with a double underhook, hitting an over head suplex and with Tsuji’s arms trapped Uemura would bridge up, getting the pin fall victory. After their last match ended in a draw, Uemura has the advantage in one on one clashes out of their 4 matches so far, Uemura has 2 wins, Tsuji has 1 win with 1 match ending in a draw.
Jeff Cobb (3W 3L 0D 6Pts) Vs Tomohiro Ishii (3W, 3L, 0D 6Pts)
Jeff Cobb defeated Tomohiro Ishii by Pin fall
The audience must of thought they were watching the latest Kaiju Movie, as the two behemoths collided with each other like wrecking balls. The two mammoth men seemed to be equal in all aspects of strength. It was incredible to see these two men lift and throw each other around the ring. Cobb, the younger of two seemed to have the endurance advantage and as the match wore on Cobb seemed have the control in the latter stages as the freak athlete lifted Ishii from ground into his tour of the island slam picking up the win by pin fall. With this win Cobb keeps his chances of advancing alive and also eliminating Ishii’s chances of advancing to the finals.
Jay White (4W 2L 0D 8Pts) Vs Yujiro Takahashi (0W, 6L, 0D 0Pts)
Jay White defeated Yujiro Takahashi via Pin Fall
Jay white did not even come out dressed to compete, he just expected Yujiro to lay down for him and take another loss, but just as Evil had warned, Yujiro had decided he would not just lay down for Jay White. Taking both Gedo and Jay by surprise he would strike first, even hitting a low blow followed by his fireman carry slam but Jay White would kick out the pin. Eventually Gedo had to intervene creating a distraction so Jay White could hit a low blow and his Switch Blade finisher winning the match by pinfall. Jay White keeps his chances of advancing moving on to 10 Points, Yujiro has now lost all 7 of his matches in this tournament, however Gedo would save Yujiro from a post match beat down, leaving Jay to question if Gedo knew that Yujiro would not lay down.
Taichi (3W 3L 0D 6Pts) Vs Will Ospreay (4W 2L 0D 8Pts)
Will Ospreay defeated Taichi via pin fall
Ospreay showed off his impressive new strength early on, getting the better of Taichi. Taichi would resort to his usual dirty tactics using the ring bell as Ospreay attempted a dive on the outside, continuing to use it to choke and assault Ospreay. Ospreay would fight back, unleashing his full arsenal of high octane Super Jr dives along side his new heavyweight strength moves. Taichi was able to make him pay on more than one high flying offence. The final sequence was frantic, Taichi thought he had the upper hand after countering an Oz Cutter but Ospreay countered Taichi’s super kick, then hit his Oz Cutter following up with his Hidden blade and the Stormbreaker to pick up the pin fall victory. Taichi has now lost 4 in a row stuck on 6 points, Ospreay keeping himself in reach of the block leader Ibushi now on 10 points.
Kota Ibushi (4W, 2L, 0D 8Pts) Vs Minoru Suzuki (3W, 3L, 0D 6Pts)
Kota Ibushi defeated Minoru Suzuki by pin fall
Ibushi seemed had the advantage on the feet but Suzuki seemed better adept on the Mat and during grappling exchanges. Suzuki was as vicious as ever both inside and outside the ring but Ibushi would not back down, he would unleash combination after combination as Suzuki would just soak it up almost enjoying it to much. As the match came to end Suzuki had Ibushi in the Boston Crab but Ibushi would incredibly reverse it into and standing Kamigoye, pulling his knee pad down he hit a proper Kamigoye, picking up the win by pin fall. Suzuki seemed to be smiling as he was pinned. Ibushi will stay at the top end of Block B with this win and Suzuki is officially out of the running to advance following this latest loss.
Kazuchica Okada (4W, 2L, 0D 8Pts) Vs Shingo Tagaki (3W 3L 0D 6Pts)
Kazuchica Okada defeated Shingo Tagaki by referee stoppage
They both worked a slow methodical pace, being both deliberate and tactical, showing each other the respect they deserve as the Rainmaker and the Dragon clashed for the very first time in singles competition. Just when you thought one had finally gained control the other would fight back, at times frantically going hit for hit, move for move as the pace began to pick up. It came to a climatic end, when Okada hit a spinning rainmaker attaching his Money Clip (Cobra Clutch), Shingo tried to fight to break it and when Okada dragged Shingo back to the mat the referee stopped the match, as Shingo had passed out. Okada moves on to 10 points along side Will Ospreay, just behind Ibushi and with this win as well as most likely putting an end to Shingo’s chances of advancing.
At the end of night the leaders of the group have finally separated themselves from the rest of the pack, only 5 competitors remain in contention of advancing.
Ibushi, Jay White, Okada and Ospreay have 10 points and Jeff Cobb is still in contention for now on 8 points but one more loss would see Cobb’s chances of advancing eliminated.
Out of the running to advance now are Ishii, Tagaki and Taichi and Suzuki who are on 6 points and the bottom of group, Yujirio, who is still without a single point.
Final Thoughts Block A Night 13
One of the best nights yet, so many great matches, the Jurassic like clash between Cobb and Ishii was an awesome heavyweight battle, the main event also delivered another Rainmaker classic against Shingo. Ospreay vs Taichi was another incredible match, the British Heavyweight champion has really stood out in this tournament, more than showing his transformation to heavyweight is now complete. The match of the night goes to Ibushi and Suzuki that was a striking fest, as the two competitors unleashed a barrage of strikes, from open hand palm strikes to thudding kicks, they would go from exchanging strikes to showing of an impressive mat wrestling game as they would exchange submissions, with some excellent transitions and reversals. All in all this has been one the best nights of the tournament so far and that's saying something as there have been some incredible nights already.
Night 14 Block B
Night 14 is headlined by what must be the most anticipated match of the G1 Climax as Evil faces off against the man he betrayed earlier in the summer, with the added drama of the two currently siting as 1st and 2nd in Block B, how will their result effect the blocks standing. The rest of the card is stacked with just as critical matches, Sanada faces Juice, Hirooki Goto faces Tanahashi and Kenta faces Yano, all 6 competitors are currently on 6 points but who will catch up to the block leaders and who will be left behind? Finally Zack Sabre Jr on 6pts faces of with bottom of the block Yoshi-Hashi on 2 points, can Sabre Jr keep up with the block leaders or would Yoshi-hashi get the upset. Gabriel Kidd and Yota Tsuji clash with once again as two young lions continue to jockey for position as the top young lion on the G1 Tour.
Yota Tsuji Vs Gabriel Kidd
Gabriel Kidd Defeated Yota Tsuji by pin fall
During the early stages of the match, Tsuji would prove he is the stronger of the two Young Lions coming out on top as they locked up to begin the match, it’s Kidd who ups his aggression level throwing strikes early. Kidd’s aggression would pay of as he eventually pick the up win following a beautiful drop kick and hitting his Double Arm Suplex getting him the pin fall victory. Gabriel Kidd has now won his 2 last two matches where as Yota Tsuji has lost his last 2 matches.
Yoshi-Hashi (1W 4L 0D 2Pts) Vs Zack Sabre Jr (3W 3L 0D 6Pts)
Zack Sabre Jr defeated Yoshi-Hashi via Submission
Zack came out super confident for this match, believing his superior technical wrestling would see him easily pick up the win over Yoshi-hashi who is sitting at the bottom of the table with only one win. Yoshi-Hashi would almost make Zack Sabre Jr pay for his over confidence getting a near fall on more than one occasion but once Sabre Jr got serious it was only a matter of time before he would pick up the win working over his opponents shoulder. Sabre Jr would eventually put a stop to the match forcing Yoshi-Hashi to submit with a Double Armbar, with the win Sabre Jr keeps his chances of advancing alive, Yoshi-Hashi still has only 1 win in this G1 Tournament.
Toru Yano (3W, 3L, 0D 6Pts) Vs Kenta (2W, 4L, 0D 4Pts)
Kenta defeated Toru Yano by count out
This was less a wrestling match and more like several different sets of wrestling comedy skits, as they spent more time playing mind games and trading off antics than they did wrestling. In the end it was Kenta who managed to tie Yano to a stage tower using wrist tape he had hidden in his US title shot brief case to get a count out victory. With this win Kenta moves on to 4 points whilst Yano now looses his 4th match in a row.
Sanada (3W, 3L, 0D 6Pts) Vs Juice Ribinson (3W 3L 0D 6Pts)
Sanda defeated Juice Robinson by pin fall
Sanda shows of his great technical wrestling as he takes the ascendancy during the opening exchanges, with some truly excellent wrestling. Things change once Juice is able to use his strength to muscle his way back into the match and take control for most of the middle of the match. Sanada would fight his way back at the end of match with some excellent transitions and reversals, he catches in his Cold Skull Dragon Sleeper pulling Juice to the mat, clipping the ropes to hit his moonsault to pick up the win by pin fall. Sanada continues his comeback story with this win now his 4th in row since loosing his first three matches, Juice remains on 6 points seeing his chances of advancing slipping away.
Hiroshi Tanahashi (3W 3L 0D 6Pts) Vs Hirooki Goto (3W 3L 0D 6Pts)
Hirooki Goto defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi by Pin fall
These two competitors first faced off against each other as young lions and since then Tanahashi has gone on to become the NJPW Ace, whilst Goto has had a distinguished career he never quite reached the heights of Tanahashi. These two battle weary veteran warriors, clashed as they fought to ensure they still had a chance of advancing, both of their bodies visibly broken down, Tanahashi would work over Goto’s knee for the Texas clover leaf. In the end even with Goto’s bad knee, he would lift Tanahshi onto his shoulders from the turnbuckle hitting a super neck breaker and as Tanahashi’s neck came crashing down on his knee, he immediately hit his GTR finisher to get the win. Goto moves on to 8 points just behind the block leaders as Tanahshi’s hopes of qualifying have seemingly slipped from his grasp.
Tetsuya Naito (5W 1L 0D 10Pts) Vs Evil (4W, 2L, 0D 8Pts)
Evil defeats Tetsuya Naito by pin fall
Naito took his usual considered approach, not rushing into things despite his deep hate for his former stable mate, even playing mind games with both Evil and Togo. Of course it doesn’t take long for Togo to get involved so that Evil could take advantage on the outside and Inside of the ring, as the two would continue to bend and break the rules whilst punishing Naito. This G1 tournament has proven just how tough Naito is so even at a 2 on 1 disadvantage you could never count Naito out as he would always find a way to fight back. Just as Naito looks to have match won after hitting a Destino but Evil kicks out the pin, Naito looked to hit a second Destino, Evil countered it hitting everything is Evil and winning the match by pin fall. Evil has now levelled his point tally with Naito as they both sit atop block B with 10 points.
With another critical night of clashes, Naito and Evil are the leaders of block B with 10 points a piece closely followed by Sanada, Sabre Jr and Goto on 8 points. 2 of these 5 are most likely to advance to the finals.
Although Yano, Juice, Tanahashi and Kenta are on 6 points mathematically they could still advance but it is very unlikely and Yoshi-Hashi at the bottom of block B with only 2 points has no chance of advancing.
Final Thoughts Night 14 Block B
There have been better nights of action during the G1 Climax, but this was still a good show, with the second half of the having some great encounters including the main event that just adds more fire to the rivalry that's been simmering all summer. Goto and Tanahashi had a truly awesome match that only two veteran wrestlers like themselves could have it was great back and forth match that showed they both still have what it takes. The match of the night goes to Sanada and Juice Robinson who’s traditional technical wrestler vs a power wrestler match, really held its own showing these are two stars that NJPW can rely on in the future. All in all it was yet another good night of wrestling I can’t wait for the final two sets of matches for both block A and B.
The Great British Otaku
Andrew More