Summarizing Day 16 in 4 words:
HONMANIA IS RUNNING WILD!
- The team of Yohei Komatsu, Sho Tanaka, and Ryusuke Taguchi def. the team of Jay White, David Finlay, and Jushin Thunder Liger
- CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI and Toru Yano) def. Bullet Club (Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale)
- The team of KUSHIDA, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Togi Makabe def. the team of Mascara Dorada, Tetsuya Naito, and Kota Ibushi
- Bullet Club (Cody Hall, Doc Gallows, and AJ Styles) def. the team of Captain New Japan, Katsuyori Shibata, and Hiroshi Tanahashi
The next time Styles and Tanahashi will meet, it will be to determine the winner of Block A.
G1 Climax Block B Matches:
- Karl Anderson (10) def. Yujiro Takahashi (4)
Two things of note:
1. MAO is back, and she really needs to become a permanent fixture in NJPW. Rawr.
2. Something's up with Bullet Club. Tension seems to be brewing between its members. First, it was Fale and Styles from last night. Then, it's Yujiro and Anderson after some MAO action (shades of his infatuation with Maria early this year). And during the match, Styles and Anderson had a shoving session after a misunderstanding. Cooler heads prevailed, sure, but this cannot be a mere coincidence.
Otherwise, the match was okay for what it is, a filler match featuring two members of the #BizCliz. Anderson won with the Gun Stun in a not-so-surprising conclusion. But the bigger story is that there might be something going on within the BC. Maybe it's just the G1 format getting to them, or maybe there's something else going on. Guess time will tell.
Rating: 2/5
- Hirooki Goto (10) def. Michael Elgin (8)
In a perfect world, Elgin would be a permanent fixture in NJPW and leave ROH entirely. But since ROH and NJPW have a great working relationship, we'll just have to bear with Elgin making occassional appreances in the future. And with the way he's been working, it would be a surprise if he didn't make a New Japan return. I guess that's what happens when you have a dream that came true.
Goto and Elgin had a fantastic match pitting Goto's resiliency and Elgin's strength. Goto's been on a roll lately with these amazing matches, you won't even have to wonder why the Aramusha is perhaps the best tournament wrestler not just in Japan, but maybe even the entire world. Goto won with the rarely used Goto-shiki pinning combination.
They will meet again when Goto makes his debut with ROH in a match against Elgin. Who knows, Elgin might get his revenge by then.
Rating: 4/5
- Shinsuke Nakamura (10) def. Satoshi Kojima (4)
Nakamura needed a win in this match in order to stand a chance at reaching the Finals, and in an opponent like Kojima, what resulted was a strong showing between the beastly veteran and the wily practitioner of Strong Style. And surely enough, after a well fought battle between the two, Nakamura managed to hit the Boma Ye in a great showing for both men. Kojima did not need the win, as he's already a history-making champion in his own right.
Rating: 3.5/5
- Kazuchika Okada (12) def. Yuji Nagata (4)
Okada had to win this match to maintain his lead. His opponent? Mr. Anti-Aging himself, Yuji Nagata.
Nagata rarely has a bad match against anyone. From his Kurt Angle to Kazuchika Okada, he knows how to make the crowd become emotionally invested in a match against anyone. Could not blame the fans for wanting to see Nagata win, being the sentimental favorite over the young and brash Rainmaker, but in the long run, it was the wise decision to go for.
Next up: Okada VS Nakamura, the rematch from the G1 Climax 2014 Finals!
Rating: 4/5
- Tomoaki Honma (0) def. Tomohiro Ishii (8)
It has finally happened!
In a rematch from their previous encounters, Ishii and Honma beat the living hell out of each other, with strikes and Kokeshi's galore. It was a pure hossfest from start to finish, with Honma wanting to prove that the spot given to him in the G1 was no fluke. The match was excellent, especially considering how their previous encounters went down. After it was all said and done, a barrage of Kokeshi finished off the Stone Pitbull and gave Honma his very first G1 victory ever.
The Korakuen crowd were really into the whole affair, and they desparately wanted to see the undergod succeed for once. Honma accepted the gesture of love from the crowd, and had nothing but good things to say. It was probably the best feel good moment in the G1's history, next to Ishii's ascendance in 2013. It felt like everything was planned out the way it did for Honma to become the star he's destined to be, with the payoff to be as grand as it can be.
In some ways, this really felt a lot like the rise of the legendary Kenta Kobashi. He had to go through a long, tiring losing streak, with fans wanting to see a huge payoff for when he finally scores his first victory. Honma's win is practically his Kenta Kobashi moment, which is funny considering he was actually in the show as well. Yes, 2 points is petty chance at this point in the tournament, but who cares?
We don't know if Honma will win his match against Yujiro this Saturday, but one thing's for sure: Honma's career will never be the same again.
Rating: 4.5/5 for the match, 5/5 for HONMANIA
Current Standings:
Block A:
Block A:
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 12 points
AJ Styles – 12 points
AJ Styles – 12 points
Bad Luck Fale – 10 points (DONE)
Tetsuya Naito – 10 points (DONE)
Katsuyori Shibata – 8 points (DONE)
Togi Makabe – 8 points (DONE)
Kota Ibushi – 6 points (DONE)
Toru Yano – 6 points (DONE)
Toru Yano – 6 points (DONE)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan – 4 points (DONE)
Doc Gallows – 4 points (DONE)
Block B:
Kazuchika Okada – 14 points
Doc Gallows – 4 points (DONE)
Block B:
Kazuchika Okada – 14 points
Karl Anderson – 12 points
Hirooki Goto – 12 points
Shinsuke Nakamura – 12 points
Hirooki Goto – 12 points
Shinsuke Nakamura – 12 points
Tomohiro Ishii – 8 points (DONE)
Michael Elgin – 8 points (DONE)
Satoshi Kojima – 4 points (DONE)
Yujiro Takahashi – 4 points (DONE)
Yuji Nagata – 4 points (DONE)
Tomoaki Honma – 2 points (DONE)
Yujiro Takahashi – 4 points (DONE)
Yuji Nagata – 4 points (DONE)
Tomoaki Honma – 2 points (DONE)
This Saturday, we will find out who will make it in the G1 Finals this year. The big match is of course Okada VS Nakamura, but still, anything can happen.
*****
Lance Tan Ong has been a banking guy for the past few years but a wrestling guy for most of his life. And after checking out matches of Mitsuharu Misawa and Shinya Hashimoto at an early age, he's also pretty much a puro guy as well. Currently checking out WWE (mostly NXT), NJPW, DDT, and other promotions that catch and demand attention. He currently handles NJPW news and coverage for Smark Henry.