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2014 G1 Climax


Ryan

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Mashimo & Madoka vs Teioh & Shinobu (from...whatever year that was, 2009?)

 

Oh man, thank you sooooooooooo much for reminding me about that match, I have to watch it again. I had just got on the board that year and the pimping of it on here lead to me downloading it. That one deserves a review. 

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Found day 9 to be highly skipable.  Some stupid ass booking and everyone was in cruise control.  Kojima vs Nakamura was pretty decent, Styles vs Anderson was fun.  You can pretty much just catch Okada/Got and be fine though.  That match kicked ass.

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Found day 9 to be highly skipable.  Some stupid ass booking and everyone was in cruise control.  Kojima vs Nakamura was pretty decent, Styles vs Anderson was fun.  You can pretty much just catch Okada/Got and be fine though.  That match kicked ass.

 

Well to be fair, it is arguably the smallest of the three shows prior to the final on Sunday.

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I am through Day 8 now, I am doing reviews with my usual full play by play and score over at my site (in signature) if you were curious.  

 

General Observations thus far:

 

- Archer is zapping my will to live.  I think he is by far the worst in the tournament, he is just so "do a shoulderblock, RAAARR to he crowd, do a punch, RARRRRRR to the crowd" it just slows down everything.  Plus his finisher requires a ridiculous setup that rightfully gets reversed most of the time.

- So much going outside the ring.  Watching these back to back, it is starting to annoy me that 97% of the matches have a one minute or so outside the ring spot of throwing into guardrails and going back into the ring.  I am not a wrestler, my theory is that they use it as a time killer as it takes no advance planning, has no impact on the match overall, and helps fill out the match time.  So now I like it when matches exclude that.

- Naito is being badly exposed.  I normally like Naito but watching him back to back to back I am just getting tired of his matches.  His match with Goto just wasn't good, his offense looks so light.  Like when a child play wrestles with his dad or something.  I'd like to see more fire out of him.

 

I decided at the very end I am going to average out every wrestler's match score and see who averaged the highest.  Since in each block all the wrestlers wrestle each other within a two week period, it is probably the only time I will be able to fairly average scores out.  I haven't even looked yet, but I would think my highest scores would be Tenzan, Shibata, and Ishii.  With Nagata and Styles being really close behind.  Only Archer and Gallows to me have been disappointing, the other 20 have all had a good match here or there.  Even Yano is entertaining me and Fale/Makabe have their moments.  I didn't like Suzuki/Styles as many as most so to me, no match on this tournament I don't think is in my Top 10 for the year, but most of the matches are really solid and it has been fun to watch.  Shibata/Nakamura still has the highest score for me, if it still is once the tournament is all done I will go back and watch it again to see if I still think its the best match of the tournament.

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- Naito is being badly exposed.  I normally like Naito but watching him back to back to back I am just getting tired of his matches.  His match with Goto just wasn't good, his offense looks so light.  Like when a child play wrestles with his dad or something.  I'd like to see more fire out of him.

Naito is fine, Goto is bad. Really I have no idea where anyone got this idea that Goto was any good but he just is not. Everything before the finishing stretches of his matches is totally appalling. Naito shouldn't throw uber-killer strikes-it's not his thing. New Japan has enough guys that do ridiculous elbow throwing and very few of them get it right. Versatility is hardly a bad thing. Naito is spending a lot less time trading elbow shots than he did last year which I presume is because he's in better ring shape now. He's been getting a lot more crowd support recently and has put on some good performances. Sure, he's not a super worker, but neither was say Muto and that didn't exactly stop him now did it? ;) Only thing I wish Naito wouldn't do is his Abisengiri because he tends to miss it more often than not.

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- Naito is being badly exposed.  I normally like Naito but watching him back to back to back I am just getting tired of his matches.  His match with Goto just wasn't good, his offense looks so light.  Like when a child play wrestles with his dad or something.  I'd like to see more fire out of him.

Naito is fine, Goto is bad. Really I have no idea where anyone got this idea that Goto was any good but he just is not. Everything before the finishing stretches of his matches is totally appalling. Naito shouldn't throw uber-killer strikes-it's not his thing. New Japan has enough guys that do ridiculous elbow throwing and very few of them get it right. Versatility is hardly a bad thing. Naito is spending a lot less time trading elbow shots than he did last year which I presume is because he's in better ring shape now. He's been getting a lot more crowd support recently and has put on some good performances. Sure, he's not a super worker, but neither was say Muto and that didn't exactly stop him now did it? ;) Only thing I wish Naito wouldn't do is his Abisengiri because he tends to miss it more often than not.

 

OMG I love Goto, so we can just disagree on that one ;)

 

I'll give an example on Naito's offense that I don't like.  You know the spot he does in every match, where he charges the corner and baaaarely touches his opponent as he goes out to the apron, but his opponent always goes to a seated position so he can hit the slingshot dropkick?  I hate that spot so much, every time I see it, it seems a little worse.  It would be ok if he smacked his opponent but its one of the lightest taps any wrestler does and its just to set up a stupid slingshot spot.  I actually don't mind him not being strike-oriented, it is just when he does get into the strikes they look weak compared to his opponents so it doesn't make him look good.

 

I've liked the guy for years so I haven't given up on him, I just haven't been impressed in the tournament.

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He kicks the guy in the face, then sweeps their leg out to drop them into a seated position. It's really not a bad spot but I'm tired of seeing it in every match.

 

You know what else I'm tired of? Dudes not hitting their big moves. Everyone tries them, misses them and THEN hits them later in the match. Let Shibata hit the PK on a motherfucker early in the match and win.

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I think it just overly contrived, I got annoyed at Suzuki in his last match I watched just casually going out to the apron so his opponent could randomly try a lariat so he could catch his arm to do the armbar over the ropes.  So its not just Naito.  Seeing these guys over and over in singles matches I think it just sticks out more when they go out of their way to do their spots instead of just letting things happen naturally.

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Aww but I like Goto.  I have found I like the matches as the tournament goes on that the do something different.  Tenzan/Yano for example was laid out different than the other Yano matches (new cheating tactic, Tenzan cheating back) while Styles had a different strategy against Archer (go for the leg, Calf Killer).  I really don't want to see the same match ten times in two weeks so I appreciate the wrestlers that give me something new and entertaining to watch.

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You mean like Goto doing the fucking 19 count in every fucking match?

 

Everyone does that in every fucking match almost. It's super annoying. I don't need dudes playing dead on the floor until the counts of 15-19 and getting back in to save their asses in most of the matches.

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Yeah all I can say about Naito is when he's in a good match he looks like one of the best in the world to me. I love his offense, look, and energy, but all too often his matches have little direction. With opponents like Okada and Ishii he's made me think he's incredible but then when I start to follow him consistently I'm disappointed. As for Goto, he's had good matches but doesn't do much for me, and I really wanna like him. Not a big fan of his moveset.

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Night 10 results are in the books.  So here are the scenarios for Night 11.  It's not real long, but I'll spoiler it just in case.

 

The only people who can still win Block B are Styles and Okada.  Basically, Styles wins the block if he gets more points in his Night 11 match than Okada.  Otherwise, Okada wins it.
 
The only people who can still win Block A are Tanahashi, Nakamura and Fale.  (Shibata can end up in a tie for the lead, but would lose on tiebreakers in all scenarios.)
 
Tanahashi wins the block if he beats Smith OR if he goes to a draw with Smith and Nakamura doesn't beat Fale.
Nakamura wins the block if he doesn't lose to Fale and Smith beats Tanahashi OR if he beats Fale and Tanahashi goes to a draw with Smith.
Fale wins the block if he beats Nakamura and Smith beats Tanahashi.
 
So, if the Tanahashi-Smith match is earlier on the Night 11 card than Nakamura-Fale, it probably means Tanahashi will lose to Smith, in which case the Nakamura-Fale match would decide the Block B winner.

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Night 10 results are in the books.  So here are the scenarios for Night 11.  It's not real long, but I'll spoiler it just in case.

 

The only people who can still win Block B are Styles and Okada.  Basically, Styles wins the block if he gets more points in his Night 11 match than Okada.  Otherwise, Okada wins it.
 
The only people who can still win Block A are Tanahashi, Nakamura and Fale.  (Shibata can end up in a tie for the lead, but would lose on tiebreakers in all scenarios.)
 
Tanahashi wins the block if he beats Smith OR if he goes to a draw with Smith and Nakamura doesn't beat Fale.
Nakamura wins the block if he doesn't lose to Fale and Smith beats Tanahashi OR if he beats Fale and Tanahashi goes to a draw with Smith.
Fale wins the block if he beats Nakamura and Smith beats Tanahashi.
 
So, if the Tanahashi-Smith match is earlier on the Night 11 card than Nakamura-Fale, it probably means Tanahashi will lose to Smith, in which case the Nakamura-Fale match would decide the Block B winner.

 

 

There is one highly unlikely fourth scenario.

 

Shibata can HYPOTHETICALLY advance if they invoke the wacky no-points Double DQ rule for Nakamura/Fale (and if Tanahashi loses). This isn't impossible, given Bullet Club shenanigans and the Nak/Fale feud - then you'd have a three-way tie at 14, direct confrontation goes to Shibata. Still ridiculously improbable.

 

This could also happen with a Nak/Fale Double Countout, but New Japan isn't consistent with how they score them. In 2000, 2004 a DCO gave both wrestlers 0 points. In '01, '05, '06, '07, and '09, a DCO awarded 1 point to each. I have no idea how this rule works now, seeing as how it's been five years since a DCO in the G1, which is just weird to me.

 

There's also a chance Block A could end on a a four-way tie at 14, and BAD LUCK FALE advances by beating all New Three Musketeers. The simple act of typing out that scenario makes me feel dizzy.

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I'm still a day behind, but watched Day 9.  I'd lean more towards Goto in this mini-Goto/Naito argument, but I think they're both pretty fun.  When I first saw Naito I hated him, but I've grown to like him.  I always thought Naito looks like Robert Gibson had a really good time in Japan, and he wrestles like a puro rock and roller, roll ups and some jumpy spots.  It's actually a nice change of pace from all of the lariats.  It's a little light sometimes, but it's wrestling; to me the power of moves is directly proportional to the guy hitting it, not the angle of the neck of the guy taking it. 

 

Anyway, Okada/Goto was a lot of fun. AJ/Anderson was pretty great as well.  Everything else didn't really do much for me, I guess.  Honma match was good.  I'm still waiting for that Honma win...I know it's going to happen...

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Night 10 results are in the books.  So here are the scenarios for Night 11.  It's not real long, but I'll spoiler it just in case.

 

The only people who can still win Block B are Styles and Okada.  Basically, Styles wins the block if he gets more points in his Night 11 match than Okada.  Otherwise, Okada wins it.
 
The only people who can still win Block A are Tanahashi, Nakamura and Fale.  (Shibata can end up in a tie for the lead, but would lose on tiebreakers in all scenarios.)
 
Tanahashi wins the block if he beats Smith OR if he goes to a draw with Smith and Nakamura doesn't beat Fale.
Nakamura wins the block if he doesn't lose to Fale and Smith beats Tanahashi OR if he beats Fale and Tanahashi goes to a draw with Smith.
Fale wins the block if he beats Nakamura and Smith beats Tanahashi.
 
So, if the Tanahashi-Smith match is earlier on the Night 11 card than Nakamura-Fale, it probably means Tanahashi will lose to Smith, in which case the Nakamura-Fale match would decide the Block B winner.

 

 

There is one highly unlikely fourth scenario.

 

Shibata can HYPOTHETICALLY advance if they invoke the wacky no-points Double DQ rule for Nakamura/Fale (and if Tanahashi loses). This isn't impossible, given Bullet Club shenanigans and the Nak/Fale feud - then you'd have a three-way tie at 14, direct confrontation goes to Shibata. Still ridiculously improbable.

 

This could also happen with a Nak/Fale Double Countout, but New Japan isn't consistent with how they score them. In 2000, 2004 a DCO gave both wrestlers 0 points. In '01, '05, '06, '07, and '09, a DCO awarded 1 point to each. I have no idea how this rule works now, seeing as how it's been five years since a DCO in the G1, which is just weird to me.

 

There's also a chance Block A could end on a a four-way tie at 14, and BAD LUCK FALE advances by beating all New Three Musketeers. The simple act of typing out that scenario makes me feel dizzy.

 

Dude I'm not even spoilering it.  If I wasted two weeks of my life for a Bad Luck Fale G1 final, I'm done with wrestling.  Frankly, this tournament should have been Shibata's to win. I would like for Tenzan to have at least been a factor going into the final day as well.

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Ishi vs Shibata was manly fun. Bummer Shibata is eliminated. Really thought he'd win this tournament. It seems that his leaving NJPW the way he did years ago has kind of doomed him to always being a second-tier guy. 

 

Really hoping to see Okada vs Nakamura (and Naka winning the tournament). It feels weird to not want to see another Okada vs Tana match but Nakamura just seems really hot right now. 

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In a time when New Japan have built themselves up their biggest collection of viable homegrown stars in absolutely yonks it's a shame it is now an annual tradition that when they all get thrown together and put on the best tournament in pro wrestling half the internet fumes that they have to give the win to the part timer who screwed the company over twice.

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In a time when New Japan have built themselves up their biggest collection of viable homegrown stars in absolutely yonks it's a shame it is now an annual tradition that when they all get thrown together and put on the best tournament in pro wrestling half the internet fumes that they have to give the win to the part timer who screwed the company over twice.

 

No, we do it twice a year. He shoulda won the New Japan Cup, too.

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