NJPW 2017 G1 Climax 27

[sevendaughters]

DAY 14 FROM O!-SA!-KA!

Tonga-Yano I quite like the matches where people try to out-cheat/comedy Yano even though they clearly have a ceiling where star ratingszz are concerned. When Yano's matches are at their best there's a quite balletic nature to the farce and this had elements here. Short and sweet. **1/2

Kojima-SANADA another fine installment of G127's tale of old men fight decrepitude. a really good stylistic fit as the slick young man tries to outwit the unsophisticated lovable clubber. watch this, you'll like it. ****

Elgin-Suzuki couple of things raised this above a rote Suzuki lackluster around-arena brawl with SZKG cheating including Elgin seeming to stiff Suzuki really early on and a couple of good in-ring moments. reckon there's probably a belting singles match between the two down the line but this wasn't it. **3/4

Omega-Juice can't fault Juice's longform selling. it's turned him from a guy I didn't like to one I actually do and look forward to. Kenny has been up and down this tourney for me, though I'd never doubt that on his day he could be one of the best. this isn't the greatest match ever but for a couple of reasons it is worth seeing. ***3/4

Okada-EVIL showing no ill-effects of his roasting the other day, EVIL had a really good main event with Okada. He looks like he belongs out there and with a year or so and a gimmick tweak (it's a bit midcard guy atm, and also people just like him too much). Okada focused on the head and neck, EVIL battled through with bursts of fire. crowd bought everything all night but here they were rapt. check this. ****1/4

another dinger.

[Ryan]

Everything is coming up Evil!

[S.K.o.S.]

Omega just beat the guy that just beat Okada, so they're at least hinting that Kenny can get that big win.

[nofuture]

3 hours ago, Ryan said:

Everything is coming up Evil!

 

[Pete]

Gedo's brilliance as head booker really came through on tonight's show. They set up so much business down the line, and everything makes perfect sense. 

[EVA]

Ishii/Fale was really good.  Unlike Naito, Ishii was able to find a note he doesn't usually play against Fale and play it REALLY well.

ZSJ/Naito was back to the type of ZSJ I've been liking lately, so that was good.  I was also happy to see Naito win with the first Destino.  I kinda hate how he's been treating it like a Rainmaker/High Fly Flow-tier spam finisher lately, when it looks way more impactful than those moves, despite the somewhat contrived setup.

Then again, Ibushi's awesome sitout Last Ride can't even be relied upon to get a sure 3-count on over-the-hill Nagata at this point, so apparently no finisher in NJPW is a killer anymore except the One Winged Angel.  The Bad Luck Fall, too, I guess.

[Firebreaker Chip]

Do people kick out of Juice's Unprettier much? He's obviously still climbing the ladder but it seems he'll be able to get a lot of mileage out of having a deadly but hard-to-hit finisher with lots of dramatic late-match struggles over the underhook etc

Also, is Juice the most sympathetic white man with dreads ever at this point?

[Raziel]

1 hour ago, S.K.o.S. said:

Omega just beat the guy that just beat Okada, so they're at least hinting that Kenny can get that big win.

Flip side, Omega just lost to the guy that Okada just beat, so they're still put at even.

 

5 minutes ago, Firebreaker Chip said:

Do people kick out of Juice's Unprettier much? He's obviously still climbing the ladder but it seems he'll be able to get a lot of mileage out of having a deadly but hard-to-hit finisher with lots of dramatic late-match struggles over the undertook etc

Also, is Juice the most sympathetic white man with dreads ever at this point?

Pulp Friction hasn't been kicked out of yet, it's pretty much a "guys avoid it like the plague" move right now.  I mean, that'll surely change when Juice moves up the card, which at this rate, this tourny has pretty much made him and EVIL at this point and I'm confident in saying that those two are going to be hanging around at least in the IC mix for the forseeable future.

 

Speaking of EVIL, looking at what's left, I'm guessing it's him or Okada coming out of B-Block.  Naito beating Okada for the G1 puts a ton of hype on the Dome.  But I can see Gedo going back to the Intra-stable final well and running Naito/EVIL for the G1 Final.  I don't see anyone but Naito coming out of A-Block, but it's Gedo so who knows.

[EVA]

22 minutes ago, Firebreaker Chip said:

 

Also, is Juice the most sympathetic white man with dreads ever at this point?

Easily.

Juice has the hurtiest looking Unprettier I've ever seen (in that it looks like it might hurt at all), so hopefully it stays protected.

[MoeCristyV.1.6]

The reaction of JUICE after winning is phenomenal! He can't believe it!

Oh and EVIL now pinned Okada and Minoru Suzuki clean. Sky is the limit.

[sevendaughters]

still think it's going to come down to Omega beating Okada on the final block night for a match with Naito. but they've set up

- Kenny-Juice presumably in ROH for US title
- EVIL for IWGP shot on B show
- Elgin for NEVER title

I also think Ibushi will have a go for the IC title. Somehow I think it will come down to Ibushi-Kenny at the Dome but I don't know whether for title or just as a grudge. I think other people might need the belt more but I'm happy with nearly every permutation.

[EVA]

JUUUUUUUS HYPE!!!!!  EVILLLLLLLLLL HYPE!!!!!!

Loved the beginning of Juice/Omega where they played into Juice's old fashioned babyface act with Kenny taking Curt Hennig bumps to real basic shit, leading to that crazy suplex from inside the ropes to the floor.  I felt bad for Kenny in that awkward moment when he realized Juice's legs were too damn long, and his arms too damn short, to do the ringpost figure four.  I also loved that Juice got his breakthrough win by stealing a roll-up rather than some fighting spirit routine where fights through the knee to hit his finish or whatever.  It actually felt more earned somehow, and still gives Juice room to grow and build, as even he knows he was lucky to get that W and he has a long way to go before he can go blow-for-blow with the top guys and win.

I didn't really care for the 1st half of Okada/EVIL but everything after EVIL beaned him with the chair throw was off the charts.  I actually got a little mad at him for breaking the 20-count on Okada, as he had executed a perfect plan and was clearly going to win, but I can believe that he is just THAT damn mean that he wanted to hurt the champ some more and stand tall ver him in the middle of the ring.

[Beech27]

1 hour ago, sevendaughters said:

still think it's going to come down to Omega beating Okada on the final block night for a match with Naito. but they've set up

- Kenny-Juice presumably in ROH for US title
- EVIL for IWGP shot on B show
- Elgin for NEVER title

I also think Ibushi will have a go for the IC title. Somehow I think it will come down to Ibushi-Kenny at the Dome but I don't know whether for title or just as a grudge. I think other people might need the belt more but I'm happy with nearly every permutation.

Agree with all of the above, but I feel like Omega/Ibushi would need a belt (or two?) in order to take its appropriate spot on the card. You can put one match after that, if it's Okada/Naito, but that's it. 

Anyway, a lot to look forward to. 

-Kojima's stern flex/pose before the final lariat is honestly one of my favorite moments of the tournament so far. Fuck yeah, old man. 

-Omega/Juice was perfect, because it didn't try to be a blockbuster MAIN EVENT. Kenny bumped like a stooge heel, worked the knee, then moved up the ladder of his big offense methodically. Juice fired up, but never got much traction. The rollup finish shows the gap still remains between them, and leaves a lot of room for high spots and near falls when that match happens. Which, assuming it's at the Chicago show, is like 45-60 minutes from Juice's hometown. So that's cool.

-Evil winning is awesome, and he's awesome, but that's quite the babyface move, turning down the sure count out win to go for the clean(er) victory....

 

[Michael Sweetser]

1 hour ago, MoeCristyV.1.6 said:

The reaction of JUICE after winning is phenomenal! He can't believe it!

Oh and EVIL now pinned Okada and Minoru Suzuki clean. Sky is the limit.

Plus ZSJ for an IC title shot down the line as well.  This tournament is setting up so much great shit down the line it's crazy, and it's still not over.

[EVA]

I still can't get over somebody at WWE thinking heel was the way to go with Juice.  What a whiff.

[OSJ]

Wait, you said "WWE" and "thinking" in the same sentence?

[Infinit]

3 hours ago, EVA said:

 I actually got a little mad at him for breaking the 20-count on Okada, as he had executed a perfect plan and was clearly going to win, but I can believe that he is just THAT damn mean that he wanted to hurt the champ some more and stand tall ver him in the middle of the ring.

Well...his name is EVIL...

[GodzillaPerez]

Juice is the ONLY sympathetic white guy with dreads in the history of anything.

And are we forgetting he started as a face in NXT and the fans shit all over him? 

[EVA]

They shit on Elias, too.  They definitely should not be counted on as the arbiters of which wrestlers are good at their jobs.

[nofuture]

Juice's heel SJW gimmick was ahead of it's time.  He's just a victim of NXT indie invasion of '14.

[Michael Sweetser]

Some guys just aren't the right fit for whatever reason, even if it's just the wrong place at the wrong time.  

[Jiji]

The Lion Marks website adds so much context by translating key commentary and interview comments to English. Some real gold in there, like the connection between SANADA and Kojima going back to All Japan and how Kojima was using some older moves he doesn't usually hit these days. In the main event, Chono was saying that Okada let his guard down and wasn't taking EVIL seriously enough after Kenny's loss. That's some high end storytelling shit. Okada came out basically celebrating winning the block, looking so happy that his work in the group stage was done. Then EVIL threw a chair upside his fucking head. Fantastic finishing stretch, as I'm usually not a lover of the finisher reversal dance but Rainmaker -> EVERYTHING (!!!! Milano losing his shit with English is the best thing!) IS EVIL was just too perfect with the moves meshing so well together. Okada's first loss in a year and it was outstanding.

Omega was just a little off in his match but the general layout and story was really well done. Like EVA said, I felt awful for Kenny when he realized he couldn't get on the figure 4 around the thicker NJPW ring post well. He couldn't abandon it without looking silly and then it looked worse when he went for it anyway. Juice's reaction to winning, as previously mentioned, was priceless and yeah, way better that he gets the flash pin than outright beating Omega at this point of his run and with the story of him fighting on one leg. It could be Omega/Elgin in Chicago but Omega/Juice is the likelier and will be something fresher for the American audience. I remember listening to Rob Naylor on I think it was Zellner's podcast last year when Juice signed with New Japan. I was highly skeptical, but Naylor said without any doubt that Juice's work ethic would make him a success over there. He nailed it. I wish the crowd was a little more into the meat of the match but they popped so fucking big for the fall that it's all good in the end.

Surprised that Big Mike beat Minoru and now he has two claims for title challenges with Omega and Suzuki's scalps in an otherwise forgettable tournament for him. I guess that's a bit of an oxymoron beating two of the bigger acts in the company but he was never in the running is what I'm going for.

Today's results certainly throw Block B into the unknown and is far more interesting now that it's a three horse race. EVIL has Elgin in Kanagawa on Tuesday then Kojima in Ryogoku. Could Kojima play spoiler? Elgin's already picked up two big ones, could it be a third? Omega has SANADA in Kanagawa, while Okada squares off against Suzuki before the two big dogs meet in Sumo Hall. Any of the three can win the block and I wouldn't be surprised. I'm still thinking Omega wins deep into the Sumo Hall match to book his spot in the final, but with how fucking great EVIL's been, I wouldn't even be mad with him taking it (I am unapologetically an Omega mark obv). Now that Okada has lost, it seems like the story behind him winning has also lost steam. It would've been something for him to run the table and win the final but he's now got EVIL in autumn before taking on the G1 winner in January. I'd say he's the outsider now but Gedo does such a good job of being unpredictable in a way that still makes sense unlike how WWE often fucks with fans' expectations by shooting themselves in the foot. For me, the money is still in Omega/Okada in the Dome with the title switch. I know Naito is the popular choice and he's proven why, so I totally understand why he could and perhaps should win. He's 35 but started relatively late and outside of a knee injury has been healthy. I don't think it's the end of the world to hold off on him for a bit. I want to go back and re-watch the Fale match of his a little bit closer. I feel like as champion, he'd have to work in similar conditions more often than he currently is (the big question of native fan favourite champion against big foreigner or anybody where he plays underdog) and he didn't handle it well at all.

[Michael Sweetser]

Serious question - why does everybody hate Taichi?

[Jiji]

He has zero redeeming qualities, isn't a great wrestler in the sense his peers usually are, he looks like a smug prick, tearaway pants, he cheated on his wife, and he mouths words to his entrance music with a disconnected mic gimmick. He's a fucking great heel and his match with TAKA in the BOSJ was perfect for what it was going for. I used to genuinely hate him but I appreciate how good he is at being a piece of shit in 2017, when it's very difficult to be legitimately disliked by fans.

[Michael Sweetser]

That was a very succinct summary.  I forgot about the infidelity and such.  

Looking like a smug prick is half of why I kinda like him.