NJPW 2017 G1 Climax 27

[SolidGoldBomb]

LOL, c'mon RAZ!

 

You know you love Omega, wait til he has another 6-star match in the finals next week and you'll all be loving on him again!

 

[Raziel]

I'll be ok with Omega if Evil turns out to be the greatest seller in history and the whole finish stretch was a work.  If he wasn't and that V-Trigger put his lights out, that's on Omega for not audibuling out into another finish.  I'm good with Strong Style, obiviously, but my line is getting out of town quick if debiliting head trauma has occured, especially after Shibata.

[quackhell]

Another thing is if EVIL was legit hurt then Omega pinning off the knee or telling Red Shoes to call a knockout actually works for the narrative of knee strike vs knee strike they seem to be building for him and Ibushi. If it's a work...I guess it has caused attention and conversation, but does the G1 even need that especially in light of the all too real injuries to Shibata and Honma?

[Ace]

The burden is on Red Shoes. Omega went to cover EVIL, and EVIL got the ropes.

 

[Jiji]

Just looking at A Block standings and the rest of the schedule... this is so fascinating. The final three big matches in the block are:

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Kota Ibushi vs. Hirooki Goto
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

With any of those individuals having a chance of winning the block. Ibushi and Goto have the most difficult path being only 3-3, but Ibushi has Nagata and YOSHI-HASHI, which I would think he'd win. It's probably down to the winner of Naito/Tanahashi but I'm holding out hope for a Kota/Kenny final until they're mathematically eliminated. Leave it to Hirooki Goto to play spoiler. ZSJ has had a heck of a tournament, with some really great outings and kayfabe wise keeping pace with the big boys.

There are some things that really irk me about New Japan but Gedo has really put on a masterclass in booking Block A. Block B is about as good as it gets too with Okada's perfect run and Omega right behind him and likely needing a win at Ryogoku. SANADA and EVIL have certainly proven to be main eventers in the making with their performances in the tournament too, both sporting a 4-2 record so far. Suzuki vs. Yano on the 12th, tho. 

Anybody feeling anything other than a Naito/Omega final? Do they have Okada run the table and pick his opponent for the Dome? Okada's got EVIL and Suzuki left before Ryogoku.

[Beech27]

Even disregarding the exceptional match quality, the G1 is so compelling because of all the plausible (and individually compelling) scenarios, that can be spun forward into plausible and compelling stories for months to come. And yeah, both blocks have several fascinating "what if?" scenarios. 

Spoiler tagged for lots of rambling. 

Spoiler

 

Like, Naito heads up the hottest act in Japan, and has nothing else going on; he deserves to win, should win, and... if pressed, he'd still be my pick.

But then, what bigger story is there than Omega/Okada? If that doesn't close Wrestle Kingdom, you risk the main event being overshadowed by a match that isn't happening, right? And you could get there with either guy winning. Okada could draw Omega and challenge him, because he BEATS everyone else, and in promos, he's practically begging someone to step up and defeat him. Or Omega could just beat him now. Flash v-trigger twenty seconds in, and let Okada fight back, but never wholly recover. Something like that, because thirty minutes is a whole lot less than sixty. 

Of course Omega could face Naito in the finals, running back their classic from last year. But he's been hinting at Ibushi for months, and openly pining for it in shoot interviews for even longer. Admittedly, this is what I want to happen, because digging up the Golden Lovers ~melodrama~ is just too pulpy to turn down. (WWE never did give us those promised LGBT storylines; come through for me New Japan!)

But Omega does still have the US title to defend, and perhaps the dissolution of (his version of) Bullet Club and the subsequent faction war to deal with.

That's to say nothing of ZSJ, Evil, and Juice looking like made men with bright futures.

There are... a lot of possibilities. And I like pretty much all of them, which is a good place to be. 

 

 

[John E. Dynamite]

 Tomoaki Honma makes Harvey Fierstein sound like Minnie Riperton.

[sevendaughters]

instareaction on the G1 matches from day 13 in Ehime

Nagata-Ibushi not the ultramatch you might hope for from two of the tournament's leading workers but a very good match all the same. the translation of Ibushi's new finisher is great (Kamigoye - Greater Than God) and the match revolves around his desire to hit it. does he? ***3/4

Fale-Ishii think Ishii has been reading this thread because he broke out about 4 things that I have seen him use once or less. really good stuff here between both of them. played up the size difference in interesting ways, mainly with Ishii working as battling babyface. ****

Goto-YOSHIHASHI one for the Goto naysayers as he trundled about looking miffed. Fortunately Tacos had his working boots on and got this to above mere respectability. ***1/4

Naito-Sabre Jr. favourite Sabre match thus far for me, Naito in his element, approaching his run at the top, this is a pleasure to see. ****

Tanahashi-Makabe good and smooth house show main event between one of the GOAT and a guy whose only real problem is that he's in a company with a lot of much better workers. ***1/2

one of the most outright enjoyable across the board. possible reasons? well, Block A is better, but there was hardly any - if any at all! - brawling around the ring.

[EVA]

4 minutes ago, sevendaughters said:

instareaction on the G1 matches from day 13 in Ehime

 

Tanahashi-Makabe good and smooth house show main event between one of the GOAT and a guy whose only real problem is that he's in a company with a lot of much better workers. ***1/2

 

Ha.  I can't figure out who's who in this statement, mostly because I vehemently disagree with both descriptions as they would apply to either guy.

[sevendaughters]

6 minutes ago, EVA said:

Ha.  I can't figure out who's who in this statement, mostly because I vehemently disagree with both descriptions as they would apply to either guy.

I'm a Tanahashi mark, what can I say?

[Beech27]

Really enjoyed this show. I should probably stop trying to read the tea leaves regarding this, but fwiw, it was actually Omega who basically took the night off, while Evil put in a pretty respectable shift. 

-Nagata/Ibushi was my favorite match of the night. They trade for a bit, Ibushi hits some cute stuff, some flips; Nagata gets pissed, kicks the shit out of him; Ibushi gets pissed, kicks the shit out of him; they trade some more, this time with feeling; some nasty suplexes, and viable near-falls without going overboard in the first singles match of the night. The story, basically: Fuck you; no, fuck you; fuck it all; respect. Perfect. Interestingly, the announcers are really pushing Kota's strikes, which, combined with what will be a pretty good record--improbable finals run or not--does seem to imply they have plans for him as a heavyweight. Pointless speculation:

Spoiler

Take the IC belt (and unofficial leading New Japan heart-throb title) from Tanahashi at the dome, maybe? 

-I can't bring myself to say Fale is good per se, but he ends up in a lot of pretty good stuff... so, y'know, maybe I should revise that. He knows his limits, works within them, and more talented opponents work around them/bounce off of him. Which is good, and yeah, he deserves credit for being carryable, even if lifting him would be a bitch. Ishii brought it. 

-ZSJ's story so far has been, essentially, that he'll beat you if you beat yourself. That is, he needs you to make a mistake. If you're smart, and keep it "standing", focusing on strikes and power moves, he can't hang. But if you leave a limb vulnerable--so much the better if it's hurt--he'll tap you; if you lose focus, he can pin you. Naito, as such, is a bad matchup for him. A quick guy with a few bombs, who can slug it out a little; but most of all, he's too calm to fuck up. But that bad matchup for him makes a compelling matchup for us, and hey, it was. 

[sevendaughters]

I still hope that they can get Fale to something approaching Taue-level now he's going past Giant Bernard-level. They protect him and they like him. He seems like a genuinely decent guy + he considers Japan his home and speaks the language. He brings something else to the shows. His timing is often good, his execution perhaps not always so, but the main thing missing is just that little edge of nastiness that all the GREAT big men have.

[Raziel]

So, As usual heading in to the home stretch things are whacky and open.  In A Block, a Naito win is likely, especially with Naito/Tanahashi going on the last day of A Block, but it's open enough for someone to sneak in, with the matches remaining.  Although looking at the table, Ibushi seems like the only one that would be likely to sneak in.

 

With Naito taking block A, I would wager Omega takes B, and Okada needs to take a loss (EVIL and Suzuki are both likely to hand that out.)  I could easily see Suzuki sneaking up and passing Omega if they give Robinson a huge upset (he seems primed for one and he's got Omega, Elgin, and Yano left).  

[Jiji]

3 hours ago, sevendaughters said:

I'm a Tanahashi mark, what can I say?

You wouldn't be alone in considering Tanahashi a GOAT contender. He pretty much brought New Japan from the brink of irrelevance to where they are now and in the process has taken part in some of the best matches of the past 10+ years. I'm interested in hearing EVA's criticisms of Tanahashi, as I've yet to see a case that I can fully buy. Dude is busting ass with one arm right now and putting on some high end matches.

[Beech27]

Hypothetical: Let's say Okada does drop a match to Evil or Suzuki, and he and Omega enter their showdown at 7-1 each. Then, they draw. 7-1-1 would be the best record in the block, since Suzuki would, at best, have two losses. What's the tie-breaker in that scenario? Best win, by record? Or least bad loss? Does a GM come out and make the finals a triple threat? 

(The thing about wrestling is you can just choose not to book confusing things, so this almost certainly won't be what happens. Hell, maybe Okada just goes undefeated, wins the whole thing, and they cement this as his legacy run.) 

[Jiji]

Was thinking the same thing if Okada goes in with a loss. I'm guessing, because it's New Japan and not WWE, they would try to explain the protocol for such a situation to make it seem like it's possible.

...

Just finished the Wednesday show and, yeah, that table should not be used for wrestling. It had screws jutting out from the bottom of the support beams. Like what tha fuck are you thinking?! EVIL should also know taking a face first bump into that table wasn't a good idea. I'm glad he didn't suffer any serious eye injury though. He certainly looked concussed at the end but from the way people were describing it, I thought he was out cold. Still not good and both Kenny and Unno have to share the blame on that one. I'm surprised this hasn't happened before with the V-Trigger because he gets so close with them and with the bicycle action they're coming in hot. EVIL is pretty special and has a bright future.

I know Tama Tonga said fuck people saying he had to prove himself back at the press conference, but I feel like his match with Okada was a real missed opportunity. He's just kind of there in the ring. He's got such fantastic physical charisma and athleticism but not a whole lot beyond that and a good look. I want to like him but it's difficult when his matches are so pedestrian. He's good in tag matches because there's less relying on him to tell an engaging story.

JYUUUUSU/SANADA ruled and may be the best "undercard" type match without a main event caliber guy in the match. Only criticism of SANADA from that was his figure 4 attacked the wrong fucking knee. DUDE. Other than that, both men played their roles to perfection and Juice hobbling down the ramp in his entrance with a look of reluctance and almost that of a defeated man were exceptional. There was a glimmer of determination that you'd want an underdog babyface to have though, so he nailed it. If he doesn't win WO's most improved rassler this year, they need to shut the awards down. These two match up so well and I hope in another 6 moths or so they are feuding over one of the secondary/tertiary titles.

[Beech27]

I'd forgotten all about this... Tanahashi and Makabe tied on points and drew with one another in 2009; the tie for first was broken with a coin-toss. However, it was a larger tournament then, with semi-finals, so both would advance regardless; the toss just determined who faced Nakamura (the winner of the other block) and who faced Takashi Sugiura (who finished second). So there is precedent, even if the circumstances would be different, since the loser of a hypothetical toss would be ousted this year. 

[Jiji]

Am I alone in wishing they'd bring back the semi-final matches? There are good reasons for getting rid of them: 1) bodies are broken down enough by that point that you don't need to add another big match, and 2) it cheapens the importance of the group matches a bit. But I just love the added drama.

[Spritenaut 32]

Nah, I miss the semis too.

[Raziel]

37 minutes ago, Beech27 said:

Hypothetical: Let's say Okada does drop a match to Evil or Suzuki, and he and Omega enter their showdown at 7-1 each. Then, they draw. 7-1-1 would be the best record in the block, since Suzuki would, at best, have two losses. What's the tie-breaker in that scenario? Best win, by record? Or least bad loss? Does a GM come out and make the finals a triple threat? 

(The thing about wrestling is you can just choose not to book confusing things, so this almost certainly won't be what happens. Hell, maybe Okada just goes undefeated, wins the whole thing, and they cement this as his legacy run.) 

First tiebreaker after head to head is common opponents.  If say, Suzuki ran the table (and was Okada's 1st loss), he would be at 14 points to Omega and Okada's 13 (should they draw), so he would win.  If Okada and Omega draw and no one else gets past 13 points, it would go to common opponents, and I'm pretty sure it's common opponents by point totals.  So if they tie with a draw, it goes to what are their records against the next guy down in the pool, and so on until something breaks the tie.

 

That said, Suzuki, Evil, or Sanada running the table and getting by Omega and Okada by 1 point is a likely secanaro, and pretty much exactly how Goto got into the finals last year.

[Beech27]

18 minutes ago, Raziel403 said:

First tiebreaker after head to head is common opponents.  If say, Suzuki ran the table (and was Okada's 1st loss), he would be at 14 points to Omega and Okada's 13 (should they draw), so he would win.  If Okada and Omega draw and no one else gets past 13 points, it would go to common opponents, and I'm pretty sure it's common opponents by point totals.  So if they tie with a draw, it goes to what are their records against the next guy down in the pool, and so on until something breaks the tie.

 

That said, Suzuki, Evil, or Sanada running the table and getting by Omega and Okada by 1 point is a likely secanaro, and pretty much exactly how Goto got into the finals last year.

Unless my math is off: 7-1-1 (what Omega and Okada would be in the scenario described) is 15 points. Suzuki, Evil, and Sanada are all currently on 8; the best they can manage is 7-2-0, which is 14 points. It could all be rendered moot as early as tomorrow, of course. 

[Pete]

1 hour ago, Raziel403 said:

With Naito taking block A, I would wager Omega takes B, and Okada needs to take a loss (EVIL and Suzuki are both likely to hand that out.)  I could easily see Suzuki sneaking up and passing Omega if they give Robinson a huge upset (he seems primed for one and he's got Omega, Elgin, and Yano left).  

Juice over Yano would hardly be an upset, would it? I could see him beating Yano or Elgin, but I don't think Omega is dropping any more falls before the final night.

[Raziel]

10 minutes ago, Beech27 said:

Unless my math is off: 7-1-1 (what Omega and Okada would be in the scenario described) is 15 points. Suzuki, Evil, and Sanada are all currently on 8; the best they can manage is 14. It could all be rendered moot as early as tomorrow, of course. 

Yeah, I'm off, Omega would need to take another hit and Okada would need to take 2.  Friggin complicated tables and shit

[Infinit]

I'm surprised Okada hasn't dropped a fall to someone to build to a title defence on one of the upcoming big shows.

[Beech27]

2 hours ago, Infinit said:

I'm surprised Okada hasn't dropped a fall to someone to build to a title defence on one of the upcoming big shows.

You figure it won't be Suzuki, since they've run that this year already. And if Omega beats him--but doesn't win the G1--I'm not sure they'd want to go back to that well so soon. That leaves Evil, which... we'll find out in a few hours. 

But who knows. Maybe they'll toss Nagata or Kojima a nostalgia shot... for losing really well... Is any big name retiring soon? Mutoh? Akiyama? Tenryu got a shot that way. Maybe Miyahara couldn't find time for the G1, but shows up to issue a challenge. Those are all unlikely and even less serious suggestions, obviously, but I'm at a bit of a loss.