NJPW G1 Climax 28, LIVE AT THE BUDOKAN! 7/14-8/12

[Beech27]

I think that was Ishii’s best performance in a G1 that has basically only been his best performances. Just a touch more vulnerable than usual, which really got the crowd behind him, so that the well-timed no-sells were some Hulking Up level pops. And I think that was the best Omega we’ve seen, too—he was superior without being super campy, and babyfaced Ishii something fierce. The irony is, this Kenny, the one who is simply an impossibly explosive athlete with a hint of villainous disdain, is actually more likeable than when he goes full hound-dog-face bouncy castle selling. So, yeah, I loved this. They established and used their respective tiers throughout—Kenny is better, but Ishii is just impossibly resilient—while still building to the sort of endorphin raining 50/50 counter sequence you expect and want the home stretch to be. Kenny’s shoulder being up is the only thing I didn’t think was basically perfect. Maybe my favorite of the tourney, now.

Ibushi and Naito was... not. It’s basically impossible to build a great match around working Ibushi’s knee, since he won’t sell it anyway; although Naito at least had the force of personality to make the crowd hate him for it regardless. It also got head-droppy as fuck there at the end. Still good, but basically the sum of its uber-talented parts.

Juice and ZSJ was a textbook example that the most obvious path for a match to take can still be the best. The crowd’s uuhhhaaaahhhhhhhh whenever Sabre counters into a submission is really fun.

[Archibald]

One extra thing that might get overlooked, Ishii being challenger for KoPW hints at Okada winning G1 and being challenger at WK because Gedo likes to book faction vs faction these things.

[MoeCristyV.1.6]

What were Omega and Ishii even thinking on that fucked up leapfrog? Ishii wasn't even near Kenny.

[EVA]

It's reached the point with Naito matches where I'm involuntarily shouting FUCK! WHY? Every time he takes a stupid bump straight on his head.

[Ryan]

2 hours ago, MoeCristyV.1.6 said:

What were Omega and Ishii even thinking on that fucked up leapfrog? Ishii wasn't even near Kenny.

Miscommunication, it happens, just move on from it basically.

[Jiji]

Ishii vs. Kenny was one of the best matches I've ever seen period. It was fucking immense and my head was gonna explode like I'm in Scanners from the overwhelming greatness. The leap frog botch was whatever. Fuck it. Perfect but I can't wait for people to complain about the pace and selling. To quote a not so great man, "fuck em!" Beech, fully agree with this Kenny being way more likeable. He was only at 10.5 rather than his usual 11+ with the theatrics. I'll gladly take that. Best Kenny match in NJPW that didn't involve Okada and probably better than their G1 clash from last year. If you listened to the English commentary do yourself a favour and listen to Milano's masterpiece. 

Ibushi broke through the glass ceiling and while it was great imo it couldn't hold a candle to the penultimate match and had some issues (mostly the futile knee work and it felt plodding after the last match). @Archibald, the double Destino didn't feel botched. It looked like they initially teased the lawn dart the first time but Naito squirmed out of it. Naito looked like he died on the apron-to-ring German and then he did die on that counter spike whatever shortly thereafter. Ibushi fully channeling Nakamura at the end was fantastic in a coming out party/"look dad, no hands!" sort of way. 

SANADA should wrestle Yano every other show and find new ways to get him counted out via paradise. Great stuff. 

ZSJ/Juice was fantastic as well and the crowd's reaction to Juice's hand getting further messed up was what I was expecting throughout the tournament. Excited for the Long Beach match. 

My heart is still racing from that match. This was the big show on paper and boy did it deliver. We got our all time classic match in before the big big block deciding shows and we have what should be a huge moment of truth for SANADA in Yokohama. With Naito all but eliminated unless Yano gets a count out win over Omega, SANADA actually has a believable chance for a career defining win. 

[sevendaughters]

I quote Milano Collection AT. 

holy shit. 

 

HOLY SHIT. 

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Er, wasn't Omega's shoulder really clearly up? You can argue the ref didn't see it, but it seemed like there was a lot of tight calls on Ishii as it was.

Don't get me wrong, match was awesome.

[Jiji]

That's on Omega, man. Trying to scuttle Ishii's big win like he's Hogan at Starrcade '97. Fucking puke. 

[Ryan]

Once again, it happens, ignore it. It's not like he stood right up like he was Nakanishi in the 2005 NJ Cup. He also kicked out before 3 to boot.

[Tromatagon]

Omega/Ishii was fucking beautiful, man.

I haven't been this hyped watching a match since Killshot/Fox Hell of War in Lucha Underground and I was there live, not half a world away watching hours later.

[Beech27]

There’s an alternate universe where Red Shoes stops the count, and Ishii ends up losing because, in his desperate excitement, he pulled Kenny’s shoulder off the mat by pinning him too hard. I’m glad I don’t live in that universe, though. 

[Tromatagon]

Where was all this shoulder outrage when ZSJ was robbed against Kenny?

[Beech27]

Watched it again. Live, the energy and violence of the finishing stretch was obvious, but I don’t think I quite appreciated how clever it was. That is, many of the counters were counters to the other guy’s counter (even counters they used in the US title finals)—and yet there’s really no sense of choreography. You even get moments of the opposite, like when Ishii spots Omega shifting to a sitting position, visibly reacts, then hits the lariat. There’s no “this is the next move I hit in a series”—he just takes what’s there. And fuck, Ishii’s delayed sell after he blasts Omega into the corner with a forearm—you can hear the crowd cry out the second he cringes and pinches his shoulder. AND they left Ishii’s screwdriver Tanahashi killer in the chamber, so there’s still sequences to be built around those attempts.

I might just watch Ishii versus Goto, Ibushi,  and Omega tomorrow and skip Block A...

 

[Jiji]

I was SO hoping for the SSD to make an appearance if he were to beat Omega (that 2013 Tanahashi match in Korakuen is still among my faves!), but it worked perfectly as is. Kenny's in another, untouchable world right now in terms of closing sequences at lightning pace with just the right amount of selling and time between big moves. You're right in that his counters never felt contrived/dancy, just as they didn't against Naito. I'm also glad you brought up the delayed sell. That was brilliant and received the exact response from the crowd they were going for. Osaka has sometimes felt like it's a little overrated in terms of great crowds but not today, not one bit and they were a big part in making this a classic.

Another thing I think elevated it into that elite stratosphere among the GOATs is how this match had personality all the way through it from beginning to end. Their previous encounters, while great matches, kind of felt a little generic outside of the rope bite in Long Beach last year. This had Kenny not taking Ishii seriously at all early on, constantly slapping him upside the head. Then as the match progressed, each man's strengths (athleticism vs durability and resolve) also started to play into it. Just a beautifully woven tapestry of violence with perfect pacing and unpredictability. Not until the last 30 seconds or so was I pretty sure Ishii was winning and that's a huge achievement in this era of winners giving the loser the lion's share of the match and therefore telegraphing the result.

In other words, this match fucking rules. Can't wait to watch this again with my NJPW viewing buddy. It's all I've thought about the entire day.

[Beech27]

27 minutes ago, Oyaji said:

Not until the last 30 seconds or so was I pretty sure Ishii was winning and that's a huge achievement in this era of winners giving the loser the lion's share of the match and therefore telegraphing the result.

They even got me, and I’ve been suggesting Ishii as the KOPW challenger since before the G1 started and certainly before he “needed” this win to keep block drama going. Two little reasons that were actually pretty big in making me feel that way, I think:

1) Kenny hit BOTH of his death v-triggers—into the ropes and the corner—which usually mean the OWA is coming very soon. (Only Okada really survives those, and even he’s fallen twice in a row, now.)

2) Ishii kicking out at one basically always means he’s right about to lose. It’s the classic “put him over right before he gets put down” spot. 

[Jiji]

Yeah, both were fucking cheeky as hell. Just an unreal smart structure to the match. 

I was oscillating back 'n' forth on who would win. Not many matches get me like that. Got the feels!

[Ryan]

There's a medicine for that if the Feels get out of control. I believe it's a cream.

[Jenalysis]

15 hours ago, EVA said:

It's reached the point with Naito matches where I'm involuntarily shouting FUCK! WHY? Every time he takes a stupid bump straight on his head.

 

I take it as inner feelings of guilt over Hiromu's condition.

 

[sevendaughters]

watching today's matches tomorrow, finished watching yesterday's matches today

DAY 14 DELAYED REACTIONS

SANADA-Yano this is more of the previous year models for both men but I think this whole Paradise Lock bit is over when it comes to Yano matches so I will forgive it because it was funny. **3/4

Tonga-Goto beyond tedious. Weird how Tonga may be remembered for wrestling in one of the hottest companies and tournament blocks ever and has actively been trying to bring it down. *

Juice-Sabre I probably need to see this again. Good teaser for a title match presumably contested in the west, the hand wrenching stuff was great, less so the weird contortionist sub shit, which is a bit "yellow belt with ideas above his station". ***1/2

Ishii-Omega at the highest level, strangely, you can still nitpick. did they do too much - both artistically, and humanely? did the one or two minor botches and obvious bits of cooperation take away from it? discuss that if you please, but i thought this was the best telling of the "man will not stay down" story probably ever. an insane, vertigo-inducing work of wrestling brilliance. *****

Naito-Ibushi perhaps wisely I did not watch this immediately after the previous, instead I watched it in isolation with a cup of tea. Yes one or two moments were boggling, my eyes on stalks wondering what on earth was going through their minds. A crazy match but not a trainwreck; it teetered on the edge of sanity. But ultimately when they'd finished they seemed a lot more at the racetrack than Ishii or Omega. Surely this is Ibushi on a main event/title push? He's looked outstanding. ****3/4

[The Natural]

[The Natural]

[sevendaughters]

DAY 15 THOUGHTS ETC

Yoshi-Fale I say let Project Yoshi commence, where we build this guy up to credible NEVER champ/ROH & UK tourer level, because he really does have a lot of stuff going for him. You'll never make his face on entrance look that great, but we can do something about the hair that makes him less look like an Ikuto Hidaka cosplayer, and we can hide the staff under the ring and work on the rest. His execution is always there, his lariat and the Somato lunging double knee are very exciting, and he wrestles the match you need rather than the match you want. Here he runs around and bounces off Fale and makes him the monster that he fails to be by being a fairly gentle worker in nice trainers. Again I can live with the bullshit if it gets a DQ. This was pretty good. ***1/4

Suzuki-Page loved Page going at it right from the bell. Suzuki's clocked off now and with Fale in the next match for him he ain't working overtime, so it took Page with that babyface fire to light something under this. It wasn't anything special but it was as watchable as a late G1 walk'n'brawl gets you, and the end popped me. ***1/4

White-Makabe here's where Makabe comes into his own; when he leans into his gimmick as an unchained gorilla, ie. a slightly dumbass brawler who will hurt you if he hits you but will also walk into traps. White's the opposite, knife-edge chops aside, and as a sneak he's well positioned be a near-perfect opponent for telling a nice and easy story. Ten fine minutes here. ***1/2

Elgin-Tanahashi okay so they botched the very last bit but this was excellent. I don't want to spoil but I think the story they're telling with Tanahashi this tournament is compelling, but I also liked Elgin here; the shot of him looking dolefully at his knackered lariat arm, deciding to use it to try and put the Ace down, was a subtle touch that New Japan do better than all. ****

EVIL-Okada by my reckoning, the best match of Block A this G1. most will not list it in their top 5, nor will it make Okada's top 10 for the year. but it was a well-worked main event by both that highlighted Okada starting to shed some of the goofiness of the early tournament and now step up to his imperious best. EVIL frustrates some, but he's still young and piecing it together. Great last few minutes to round out the third consecutive Best Night of Block A. ****1/4

[Raziel]

It's time for Block A Victory sceneario's:

Tanahashi wins outright with a win vs Okada OR a draw vs Okada.

Okada wins with a win vs. Tanahashi and a White loss/draw (White holds the tiebreaker)

White wins with a win vs EVIL and a Tanahashi loss vs. Okada. (White holds the tiebreaker over both Okada and Tanahashi)

[Tromatagon]

White tries to be the only smart one and interfere in a match that doesn't involve him, Chaos' shitty members stop him, he still doesn't win the block and he got stopped by Yoshi Hashi or fucking Gedo or something on the outside because Okada wants to win clean.

Maybe then Okada loses anyway I dunno.  I think Okada winning isn't as interesting as Tanahashi but that's because I see Ibushi beating Tanahashi and he'd lose to Okada.