We are back with some Block A action for night 7 of the G1 Climax, NJPW’s Premiere annual tournament, Block A is really heating up with only two competitors on full points in Jay White and Taichi and two competitors who have failed to score any points, Yujiro Takahashi and Tomohiro Ishii. The middle of the table is tightly packed with a couple of competitors with 2 wins out of three including Osprey and Ibushi and a few with just 1 win such as, Shingo Tagaki. With the table so tightly packed on this 4th night of action for Block A, with competitors either trying to catch up with the leaders or for the leaders to pull further away. All the action is brought to you from the historic Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
Night 7 Block A
There are some key clashes on tonight’s card as Will Osprey takes on one of the pack leaders Jay white, can he put a stop to Jay’s run and close the gap? A win would see him on equal points. Kazuchica Okada surprisingly only on one point faces the other pack leader Tai Chi, Okada really needs to close the gap and pick up his second victory. Tomohiro Ishii and Yujiro Takahashi really need to get points on the board they face Shingo Tagaki on 1 win and Minoru Suzki respectivly. Jeff Cobb faces of with Kota Ibushi, Jeff Cobb has one win whilst Kota Ibushi has two so either Cobb Catches up or Ibushi pulls away. There is another Young Lions match to open the night with Yota Tsuji vs yuya Uemura, each of them hold 1 win over the other, who will pick up the win this time around?
Young Lions Match
Yota Tusji Vs Yuya Uemura
Yota Tsuji Defeated Yuya Uemura by Submission
Tying up for a test of strength may have been a mistake for Uemura, who is at disadvantage in this match up with Yota, clearly the stronger of the two. Tsuji controlled most of opening sequence using his strength advantage until Uemura started to show his more aggressive streak, we saw in his last outing against Gabriel Kidd, hitting a beautiful drop kick he then takes over with a vicious assault. The tide turned once more when Tsuji hit an incredible spear locking in a boston crab on Uemura but Uemura managed to escape, Tsuji shows incredible strength with a giant swing locking in the Boston Crab once more forcing Uemura to tap out.
Yujiro Takahashi (0W 3L 0D 0 Pts) Vs Minoru Suzuki (1W 2L 0D 2Pts)
Suzuki defeated Takahashi via pin fall
This was never going to be a wrestling match in any sense, but the two just start brawling from the off, spilling out quickly to the outside as they push the rules to the limit. Both are nearly disqualified, however the inevitable referee bump allows them to completely ignore the rules for a minute, this is Suzuki’s wheel house as he took control. Takahashi does all he can to fight back desperate not to loose his 4th match in a row in this tournament, he tried to go toe to toe with Suzuki holding his own for some periods in the match. However it was all for naught as Suzuki locked in his Gotch Style Pile Driver picking up the win via pin fall, Suzuki got his 2nd win of the tournament whilst Takahashi must feel like the whipping boy in Block A, slumping to 4 straight defeats.
Jeff Cobb (1W, 2L, 0D 2Pts) Vs Kota Ibushi (2W, 1L, 0D 4Pts)
Kota Ibushi defeated Jeff Cobb by pin fall
It’s Cobb’s strength that provides the difference in the opening minutes landing headbutt after headbutt on Ibushi, following up by throwing him round the ring with his suplexes. You can never count Ibushi out though, he is freakishly athletic and has incredible strikes that lay into Cobb, getting himself back in the match. Cobb is a freak athlete in his own right however hitting an incredible standing moonsault after bringing Ibushi crashing to the mat with yet another suplex, Ibushi seemed to have no answer for Cobbs Strength, until he suddenly finds it with one big head kick and one huge Knee followed by the Kamagoyee, laying Cobb out for the three count Ibushi closes the gap on the front runners as Cobb falls behind with only one win so far.
Taichi (3W, 0L, 0D 6Pts) Vs Kazuchica Okada (1W 2L 0D 2Pts)
Kazuchica Okada defeated Taichi by referee stoppage
Taichi attacked Okada before the bell forcing him out the ring, where he sends Okada crashing into the guard rail and ringside. Taichi’s stable mate El Despardo, who is ring side on commentary, distracts the referee so Taichi can use a chair. Taichi focusses his attack on the injured lower back of Okada, but Okada can never be counted out, he’s been in this position before and he knows how to fight back from underneath. Placing Taichi on the top ropes, he hits an incredible dropkick sending Taichi crashing to outside. Okada followed him to the outside, now its his turn to do some damage hitting a DDT and driving Taichi face first into the floor. Back in the ring Okada attempted a missile drop kick however Taichi avoided it. Taichi is back in control and attempted to put Okada away with a single leg crab but Okada gets to the ropes breaking the hold. Reversing a slam attempt, Okada hits an emerald fusion giving him time to recover but it seems Taichi is ready for anything as Okada misses his patented Dropkick. Taichi managed to stay one step ahead landing a vicious head kick to Okada on his knees. As Taichi became over confident playing to the crowd Okada made him pay for hit finally hitting his dropkick and his spinning tombstone piledriver, attempting his cobra clucth Taichi chokes Okada to escape. Taichi nearly puts Okada away with a couple of pin attempts one of them after hitting Okada with his own patented rainmaker clothesline, Taichi attempts to put Okada away with an air raid crash but Okada reverses it into his Cobra Cluth forcing Taichi to pass out. Okada picks up his second win of G1 Climax as Taichi finally tastes defeat.
Jay White (3W 0L 0D 4Pts) Vs Will Ospreay (2W 1L 0D 4 Pts)
Will Ospreay defeated Jay White by Pin fall
Jay White starts with the mind games immediately whilst also taunting the crowd, continuously refusing to engage until he is ready and when he does, he pulls on Ospreay’s hair but is sent flying by a chop from Will Ospreay with all that added power on display. Jay white seemingly caught off guard by the new found power in Ospreay, he uses his in ring savageness drawing Ospreay to the ropes and dumping him over them to the outside, it was a bad landing for Ospreay. Jay pressed his advantage keeping Ospreay on the back foot landing some incredible high impact slams, even when Ospreay does fight back, there is Gedo once again supporting his client. Ospreay begins to turn the tide as they fight back forth, each move more impressive than the last, the action is coming so quick it can be hard to keep up. As Ospreay starts to takes over the Match Gedo continues to interfere allowing Jay an opportunity to get back in the match, Jay reverses a Oz Cutter into his blade runner but in turn Ospreay reverses it. Will looked to set up for a Storm breaker but Jay trips the referee, Gedo enters the ring with Brass Knucks but is taken out by Ospreay, whilst the referee deals with with Gedo, Jay attempts a low blow but Ospreay managed to block. In the final sequence Ospreay unleashes with strike after strike, setting up his hidden blade directly into Storm Breaker, to pin Jay White, Jay White is finally defeated as Ospreay catches up with Jay on points.
Tomohiro Ishii (0W 3L 0D 0Pts) Vs Shingo Tagaki (1W, 2L, 0D 2Pts)
Ishii defeats Shingo via pin fall
The Two big beefy boys charged at each like stampeding Buffalo colliding like they ran into a brick wall with neither man budging, the old cliché of unmovable object meeting irresistible force comes to mind. They laid shots into each other so hard that each slap sounded like the clap of thunder. The younger Shingo seemed to have the edge, with his better conditioning but Ishii was fighting to get his first win. The two continue to battle back and forth and though Shingo still seemed to have the advantage but he can never keep Ishii down for long, with Ishii screaming defiantly at shingo begging him to bring everything he has. Shingo showed incedible power hitting a wheelbarrow German Suplex on Ishii to the crowds, and my amazement, the two then charge and collide with each once again, sending both of them to the floor. Ishii lifted Shingo to the top ropes and followed up with an incredible superplex but Shingo answered back with a gut buster whilst Ishii attempted to hit the Made in Japan. Shingo’s conditioning seemed to be the difference as he hits Ishii with Made in Japan followed by clubbing clothesline from hell but Ishii answers back once more with back drop buying himself time to recover from all the damage he’d suffered. Ishii hits a powerbomb but Shingo kicked out of the pin attempt, Shingo hit a pop up death valley driver but Ishii Kicked out of the pin attempt. Neither man will stay down despite what the over throws at them with the momentum swinging back and forth, as the time limit grew near the action picked up both becoming more desperate to win, but it was Ishii who finally put a stop to the match following a brainbuster and getting the pin. As the Stoneface Pitball finally gets a win on the board and the Dragon slipped to his 3rd defeat in 4 matches.
Final Thoughts
Wow what an incredible night I think night 7 might have been the best night yet, the whole of Block A has been thrown wide open, with 4 people on 6 points, Ibushi, Ospreay, Jay White and Taichi, just behind them is Okada and Suzuki on 4 points. At the bottom half of table, Yujiro is still pointless without a win to his name, Jeff Cobb, Ishii and Shingo are all on 2pts, there is still a chance one of them could catch up to the leaders based on remaining fixtures. Ospreay and Jay White had an incredible encounter with it possibly being the match of tournament so far, although night 5 Shingo Vs Ospreay is right up there too. Really there was not one bad match on this card, all living up to the expected hype with some surpassing it, Block A will back with more great action on Monday the 5th of October in Niigata.
The Great British Otaku
Andrew More