NJPW G1 Climax Night 15: Penultimate A-Block Matches for Okada, Ibushi
Modern wrestling is entering a renaissance, and tonight's matches were studies in how that's coming along. Would Ibushi lose and see Okada cement his place in the Finale? Could SANADA take Archer's newfound aggression? Will it be KENTA's time to take down Ospreay? Would the commentators ever get a calculator? The calculator never materialized, but read on to see how the other questions were answered!
A quick primer: G1 Climax is a yearly 19-night tournament held by NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) to determine the most tenacious member of the roster. For the first time, all of the events will be available legally outside of Japan without a time delay via the NJPWWorld streaming service and with a delay on AXS TV.
There are two blocks with 10 fighters per block. Each fighter will have a match with every other fighter in their block, and they are awarded 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and none for a loss.
The highest scoring fighter from each block will face off at the Finale. Night 15 was and A-Block night, opening as usual with 4 short feature tag matches featuring the B-Block competitors.
Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, and Toru Yano vs. Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, and Taichi)
Taichi wasn't accompanied by the beautiful Miho Abe, but the Suzuki-gun members were so intimidating that they didn't need the extra fanfare. Yano tagged with 2 young lions (that's the name for the wrestlers-in-training with the NJPW dojos) but Tsuji showed that he was able to fight back against most anything.
Taichi decided while outside the ring to haul Yano over to the English announce table and shove a microphone into his mouth. It was kind of amazing to watch! Back in the ring, Suzuki continued destroying Tsuji before tagging the whiskey-spitting Kanemaru in to exploit Tsuji's experience deficit.
Suzuki's single-leg crab hold made Tsuji cry out, and Yano came to break up the pin by his very presence! Tsuji made distance with a dropkick, letting both Yano and Taichi take over as the legal men.
There was a silly segment, as there often is with Yano, wherein the ringpost covers were thrown around until Taichi smacked one over Yano's back. Kanemaru tagged in, thinking he'd get his hands on Yano, but he was facing Uemura who was still fresh in the match. He didn't let up for a second, attempting pinfall after pinfall.
Kanemaru's full Boston crab hold was enough, however, to stop him in his tracks. Uemura tapped out, and Taichi celebrated Kanemaru's win by wrapping Yano up in the ring apron and smacking him with a steel chair. Taichi and Yano will fight tomorrow during Night 16.
Results: Suzuki-gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, and Taichi) def. Yuya Uemura, Yota Tsuji, and Toru Yano via submission
YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Jon Moxley and Shota Umino
The saga of Moxley and Shooter Umino continued against New Japan veterans YH and Goto. Goto will face Mox tomorrow night, and this would give us a fun preview of Night 16's action. When Moxley rolls his shoulders, you know it's on.
Moxley and Goto began the match by locking up, and Moxley not only showed greater speed, but he also showed his experience. The two men traded elbow strikes and when Moxley gained some room, he tagged in Shooter to continue the strikes.
YH came in and draped Shooter over the rope for a dropkick to the back of his neck. Umino still managed to suplex YH, and he punctuated the move with a brainbuster. The damage didn't slow YH down; instead, it fired him up.
When YH dropped Shooter on his head and locked him in a full Nelson-esque hold, he didn't need to rally any further. Umino tapped out, losing yet one more tag match for Moxley.
Results: YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto def. Jon Moxley and Shota Umino via submission