NJPW G1 2019

[Kang]

[Craig H]

I love SANADA, I love his new look, but man I miss his previous even more ridiculous hair.

[LoneWolf&Subs]

36 minutes ago, D.Z said:

That’s an interesting headline. What’s the translation?

Edited August 8, 2019 by LoneWolf&Subs

[Jiji]

Osaka Lover. 

It's alluding to his post-match interview following his victory over Okada.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Oyaji

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

On 8/4/2019 at 12:27 PM, ComingToAmerica said:

So Goto vs Moxley looks interesting. Moxley winning would eliminate Goto, Iishi and Naito unless I've missed something. Hard to imagine Goto winning really, but maybe he goes the distance?

LOL; bit of a weird one that.

[Archibald]

Cobb/Naito was probably one of the better Cobb matches since Naito sold him a lot and gave room to rest. That counter Destino also looked rather cool.

Moxley/Goto was something else.

Juice/White was great and they have great chemistry with each other. Speaking about White he is in kinda funny spot. Western fans seem to hate his cheating and Gedo interferences yet it looks like Japanese crowds are eating it up. So it figures that he'll never be as over in the west as he is in Japan.

Ishii/Shingo was what everyone expected it to be and nobody probably wanted anything else.

[sevendaughters]

nothing to add to what Archibald covered there, but I thought the ending of Yano/Taichi was very clever too. Oh and the six man with Okada, Ospreay, Tanahashi, and Ibushi was probably a good li'l appetite-whetter.

[Jenalysis]

Jay/Juice was my favorite G1 match.  Juice is just such a great foil for Jay, really sympathetic babyface against a really detestable heel, and the ringwork compliments each other well.  Juice is going to lose most of them too, as he should.

As for Jay himself, whenever he turns face, he's going to get over in the West- he's got real babyface charisma too.  I'm not worried about him, and it's ok to be hated- means getting your ass kicked will be over, and that's a rare skill to have.  I have no worries about Jay in the west long-term, and I fully expect Vince to try and steal him.

 

[sevendaughters]

My pal Neil, formerly of this parish, said Jay-Juice was HIS fav match (which was so weird that I just wrote him to ask if he posted as @alstein)

He wrote

I’m gonna say something here that will probably make you go okay Neil, fuck off, but this was maybe my favorite match of the entire tournament so far. From the intimacy of it, which I have talked about before, where you can hear everything everyone is saying and feel the emotions that are driving them, to the deliberate pace, which made every movement each dude make feel vitally important, this was a masterclass to me of what wrestling can and should be, and even better for those who care about such things, it didn’t involve a lot of dangerous or stupid shit or head destruction. It was just two dudes who know each other very well, who have Feelings of a sort for one another, trying to hurt the other and trying to win a goddamn wrestling match in the process, and it was all very Real and very True.

 

Jay White remains the absolute slimiest dude in wrestling, and I’m gonna say another thing here that some people will get mad about, but I think he’s the best wrestler on the planet right now. Everything he does is perfect. From the vile character work and shitheaded insolence to the cruelty of his throws, their precision, he has the whole thing down cold and you can absolutely see why Gedo is determined to ride this dude to the end.

 

Also, it’s kind of funny how New Japan supposedly wants to get guys to tone down the swearing, but then you have Gedo of all people audibly screaming fuck every match and, well, good luck trying to get the rest of the boys to behave when the head dude is out there going raw as hell every damn time.

 

As for Juice, it’s remarkable how far he’s come, and how much he Gets It, whether it’s an old school approach like this or whether it’s him standing and trading fire with a dude like Ishii, everything he does feels important, it feels meaningful, and it’s easy to see how that translates so well to an audience that should by all rights have dismissed him as a fucking goof long ago. But they haven’t. They love him, and that’s all because he makes you want to care about him. He still has a shitty finisher, but fuck it, man, that is a minor thing in the grand scheme of things and one day he will almost surely figure out a better one and then we can all die happy.

 

But . . . yeah, I loved this match probably more than anyone else will, and I like these two dudes probably more than anyone else does. They are an obvious bridge to western audiences, but more than that, what they do translates so well to the Japanese fans, who care hotly one way or another about both of them, two white dudes who came up in their dojo system and who are now the ultimate face and the ultimate heel in a land where people dumbly say those things don’t matter. They matter, it’s just that they have to connect on a visceral level, whether that comes from the grandiosity of honor wars like Ishii or the old All Japan dudes were a master at, or whether that comes from a more westernized approach to showing Real Emotions. In the end, whether it’s Real Techniques or Real Emotion, it’s all the same thing, and in the best cases, like with Jay White, it is both.

 

his blog is at http://g1spot.blogspot.com

[PB-13]

If I have this right:

-Moxley wins the block if he beats Juice and Naito beats White (or a draw).

-Goto wins the block if he beats Shingo and White beats Naito (or a draw).

-Naito wins the block if he beats White and Juice beats Moxley (or a draw).

-White wins the block if he beats Naito and Shingo beats Goto (or a draw).

[Archibald]

1 hour ago, alstein said:

Juice is going to lose most of them too, as he should.

And I think it will be good for him. I like Juice already and I knew that White has to win this, but god damn it I wanted in the end for Juice to win so badly. When White started hitting his leg with chair I knew what was going to happen in next 15 seconds and my first reaction was "you'll get him next time Juice". I already wanted to see this match due to them having great match last year in USA, but now I want to see third match even more.

I won't be surprised if White will win their next 3-4 singles matches, if not more, but eventually Juice is going to beat the shit out of him and I'll flip the table when that happens.

[Tromatagon]

I love Jeff Cobb as a person.  Super nice guy.  Just an absolute friendly, personable, great man.  I found his work as Matanza so much fun and his PWG run was great. 

I really hate his showing in this tournament.  I think a lot of it is that his opponents aren't remotely concerned with making anything he does look good; but he's not TAKING part of the match either, if that makes sense.  It's almost like everything he's doing is just reacting to his opponent and it's not falling into place.  It sucks.  I'm feeling like I'd rather see Yoshi Hashi in his spot and I fucking hate Yoshi Hashi.

I'm not one of those WORKRATE motherfuckers or anything, you guys know that.  Something just wasn't clicking with any of his tourney work and it's weird.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Tromatagon

[Jiji]

https://streamable.com/xl6f9

I'm surprised I didn't see this earlier. Is this man a maniac or is he doing what we all would like to (and should) do in that situation? 

[Tromatagon]

My buddy Zak that I do the horror movie podcast with was telling me OH MY GOD YOU HAVE TO SEE THE FAN IN ISHII VS MOXLEY for like a week until I caught up.

 

I'm pretty sure I was close or worse at Lucha Underground tapings.  Cero Miedo.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Tromatagon

[Thomas Bugg]

I really hope that they're building towards a Rocky Romero heel turn, because I'm getting sick and fucking tired of hearing how Okada is his best friend. #CHAOSbias 

[Ace]

3 hours ago, Tromatagon said:

I love Jeff Cobb as a person.  Super nice guy.  Just an absolute friendly, personable, great man.  I found his work as Matanza so much fun and his PWG run was great. 

I really hate his showing in this tournament.  I think a lot of it is that his opponents aren't remotely concerned with making anything he does look good; but he's not TAKING part of the match either, if that makes sense.  It's almost like everything he's doing is just reacting to his opponent and it's not falling into place.  It sucks.  I'm feeling like I'd rather see Yoshi Hashi in his spot and I fucking hate Yoshi Hashi.

I'm not one of those WORKRATE motherfuckers or anything, you guys know that.  Something just wasn't clicking with any of his tourney work and it's weird.

IMO, Jeff would be best served as primarily being a tag guy in NJ. Possibly also as a heel. I've not seen much in the way of babyface fire. Maybe a tag partner/heater for Jay?

 

[HarryArchieGus]

6 hours ago, sevendaughters said:

nothing to add to what Archibald covered there, but I thought the ending of Yano/Taichi was very clever too. Oh and the six man with Okada, Ospreay, Tanahashi, and Ibushi was probably a good li'l appetite-whetter.

Thanks for the tip.  I’ve been skipping all of the tags.  Anybody else have recommendations on tags during the tournament worth checking out?  I skipped every one of them to avoid over consumption/exhaustion.

5 hours ago, alstein said:

Jay/Juice was my favorite G1 match.  Juice is just such a great foil for Jay, really sympathetic babyface against a really detestable heel, and the ringwork compliments each other well.  Juice is going to lose most of them too, as he should.

As for Jay himself, whenever he turns face, he's going to get over in the West- he's got real babyface charisma too.  I'm not worried about him, and it's ok to be hated- means getting your ass kicked will be over, and that's a rare skill to have.  I have no worries about Jay in the west long-term, and I fully expect Vince to try and steal him.

 

Can you elaborate on what you’re seeing in Jay White as a baby face?  He’s just such a heel to me through and through to see much of any potential for cheers.  Curious what you see?

He actually keeps reminding me of Wayne Ferris’ Honky Tonk man in this tourney.  Maybe it’s those pearly white boots.  I do agree he’ll transition well to the US.  

I too kinda despise the Bullet Club heel tactics.  They’re just so cliched.  This style of heel action dumbs down the artistry.  I watch new japan in hopes of escaping this kind of nonsense.  That said, whatever, the tournament’s been a blast.  

 

Edited August 8, 2019 by HarryArchieGus

[Tromatagon]

41 minutes ago, Ace said:

IMO, Jeff would be best served as primarily being a tag guy in NJ. Possibly also as a heel. I've not seen much in the way of babyface fire. Maybe a tag partner/heater for Jay?

 

I think heel incorporating a lot of the Matanza stuff that focused on looking like he was mangling/murdering his opponent would be a great place to start.  He can still be Jeff Cobb, fuck it.  Just mangle people.

As for Bullet Club tactics in the other discussion here, I actually like Taichi vs White style shenanigans matches.  I had a lot of fun watching this one and was surprised to see so much hate on it.

A lot of New Japan matches are doing all 87 of your special moves for near falls until you hit 2-4 of your finishers to end the match.  I appreciate the change in formula, even though it's just turning interference into one of those 87 special moves. 

Edited August 8, 2019 by Tromatagon

[Jenalysis]

50 minutes ago, HarryArchieGus said:

Thanks for the tip.  I’ve been skipping all of the tags.  Anybody else have recommendations on tags during the tournament worth checking out?  I skipped every one of them to avoid over consumption/exhaustion.

Can you elaborate on what you’re seeing in Jay White as a baby face?  He’s just such a heel to me through and through to see much of any potential for cheers.  Curious what you see?

He actually keeps reminding me of Wayne Ferris’ Honky Tonk man in this tourney.  Maybe it’s those pearly white boots.  I do agree he’ll transition well to the US.  

I too kinda despise the Bullet Club heel tactics.  They’re just so cliched.  This style of heel action dumbs down the artistry.  I watch new japan in hopes of escaping this kind of nonsense.  That said, whatever, the tournament’s been a blast.  

 

Basing most of this on his ROH excursion run where he was a pretty good babyface.  He's good looking and I'm sure he could switch up his style heavily.

 

[LoneWolf&Subs]

MY LORD! So many lariats during Shingo Vs. Iishi. You probably need 5 hands to count the amount they threw today.

[HarryArchieGus]

1 hour ago, Tromatagon said:

A lot of New Japan matches are doing all 87 of your special moves for near falls until you hit 2-4 of your finishers to end the match.  I appreciate the change in formula, even though it's just turning interference into one of those 87 special moves. 

I think the formula is starting to cause me some fatigue with this tournament, but it’s exciting when things do feel fresh and a thrill arises. Sometimes I have a tough time focusing on the first 10 minutes of any given match. I don’t quite understand why they don’t do more 10 minutes or slightly under upsets from time to time.  A sudden burst that ends it quick  

I really admire the booking of NJPW and how they run their schedule but I do think it would break up the monotony to have some meaningful tag matches not featuring g1 guys.  Or a few juniors battles.  

Edited August 8, 2019 by HarryArchieGus

[LoneWolf&Subs]

19 hours ago, Oyaji said:

Osaka Lover. 

It's alluding to his post-match interview following his victory over Okada.

Awwww... I thought it said “Sea Lover” as a reference to his pirate gimmick. BTW, has anybody else noticed SANADA is a move thief during his matches. It’s like he’s “Pirating” his opponents moves. 

[Tromatagon]

While discussing New Japan formula, I gotta talk about HOW MUCH I HATE being able to telegraph kickouts by certain wrestlers only looking at the ref while getting pinned when they're about to kick out.

Juice is the worst offender but it's happening so much in this tournament.

[Jiji]

I remember Austin ranting about guys watching the ref for the kickout. It can make kayfabe sense for obvious reasons but I don't love it. Can I take this time to shit on Red Shoes for being Japanese Earl Hebner? I mean, he's better than Hebner but somehow an even bigger glory hog and more intrusive and so many Japanese refs in general do the delayed 3rd count to make it easier for wrestlers to kick out at 2.9 (3 in reality). Fuck that shit.

I'm kind of bummed Mox lost against Goto because it's now 99% certain he's eliminated but his losing today and then again to Jyuuuusu would open the door to Naito, so I guess they want all the attention on that Sunday main event and not having an awkward stage of it coming down to White or Mox with Naito playing only spoiler.

Edited August 8, 2019 by Oyaji

[Pete]

6 hours ago, PB-13 said:

If I have this right:

-Moxley wins the block if he beats Juice and Naito beats White (or a draw).

-Goto wins the block if he beats Shingo and White beats Naito (or a draw).

-Naito wins the block if he beats White and Juice beats Moxley (or a draw).

-White wins the block if he beats Naito and Shingo beats Goto (or a draw).

The F4W reporter thinks Yano can still win if a) he beats Cobb, b) Goto and Ishii both lose, c) White/Naito go to a draw. I believe the guy is wrong, but can you imagine the shenanigans of Yano interfering in EVERY G1 match in one night to pull off the impossible dream? To run where the brave dare not go? To right the unrightable wrong?