NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 8 Results and Thoughts

G1 Climax 27 Day 8

Ao-re Nagaoka, Niigata, Niigata

Attendance: 2821

Today’s G1 Climax show comes to you from the city of Niigata. This city surely holds some nice memories for Kenny Omega, whose victory over Hiroshi Tanahashi for the vacant IWGP Intercontinental Championship (the springboard from which he reached his current megastar status) came in this town. He returns to the main event today with perennial Canadian rival, Michael Elgin, who needs the win to stay in with any chance of winning B Block.

But that’s not all! Kazuchika Okada takes on old rival Satoshi Kojima in a match the latter absolutely must win to avoid elimination. Those two have some of the most underrated chemistry in New Japan, so the drama of a potential elimination will no doubt be off the charts. Everything else sounds pretty solid on paper, with potential breakout stuff in EVIL vs Minoru Suzuki, while SANADA vs Toru Yano and Juice Robinson vs Tama Tonga sound relatively inoffensive for their participants.

Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr and El Desperado) def. Syota Umino and Ren Narita in 6:11 via Numero Dos

• This was more of a showcase for the Young Lions, as Hirooki Goto (ZSJ’s opponent on Day 9) filled in for Jado higher up the card).
• Still, this was a solid outing for Ren Narita in his only appearance on the tour, and further proof that Syota Umino has the makings of a future star. El Desperado fits incredibly well into the Suzuki mold of a rough old-timer against younger stars.

 

Taguchi Japan (Togi Makabe and Ryusuke Taguchi) def. Yuji Nagata and Hirai Kawato in 6:51 via Oh, My and Garankle

• This was more fun than you might expect. Taguchi was just incredibly over in one of his few appearances on the tour, while Nagata’s final G1 run is reliably generating huge reactions.
• Although I don’t have the highest hopes for Makabe/Nagata considering the level Nagata’s performing at in his other matches, they showed off some very exciting chemistry here today. Hopefully they launch right into that on Day 9.
• Taguchi won the bout once more by tapping out Hirai Kawato. Kawato is a superstar in the making and will surely be a Jr. star in years to come.

 

Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens) def. Kota Ibushi, Tomoyuki Oka and Katsuya Kitamura in 7:14 via Package Piledriver

• Not a lot going on here. Chase Owens interacts really well with the Young Lions (fitting, as he faces both Kitamura and Oka later on the tour), and his work in general has been really good on the undercard.
• The only point to this one is Ibushi/Fale. Like Naito, the dynamic has Fale’s size proving an issue for the smaller opponent. Unlike Naito, Ibushi’s explosive flying style makes it seem as though he’ll be able to overcome Fale tomorrow.

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI) def. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and Gedo) in 6:22 via Gedo Clutch Reversal

• This one was short and sweet. Started with some great animosity between rivals Naito and Ishii, which coursed throughout the whole match and beyond.
• Finish here was nice and quick, as BUSHI made up for his previous loss to Yano by reversing the Gedo Clutch into a pin for the victory. Solid way of putting BUSHI over and getting out of there.

 

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay in 7:18 via GTR

• Due to the absence of Jado (who suffered a knee injury), CHAOS is represented here by two tournament heavyweights. Probably sucks to be David Finlay here, who likely would have pinned Jado.
• Although this one is setting up YOSHI-HASHI vs Tanahashi, Goto looked like a star here. He works well opposite Finlay, and some of their rope-running spots were very exciting. Opposite a team featuring Tanahashi, to whom Goto lost yesterday, he picked up the consolation victory here.

 

B Block: Tama Tonga (4) def. Juice Robinson (2) in 10:36 via Gun Stun

• Man, Juice Robinson is just so great. Having last faced off with Minoru Suzuki, his damaged knee was especially salient here, and Tama Tonga did a surprisingly great job at going after it. Of course, Juice’s selling was just top notch.
• The way Tama played the domineering heel, and altered his offense to suit Juice’s weakness almost convinced me that there could be more to the guy. He hit a Tree Of Woe-hung Juice with two Stinger Splashes, and returned consistently to the knee whenever things looked to be getting out of his favour.
• Juice’s hope spots were fantastic, really knocking Tama around the place when he got back to his feet. A final small package before the finish was nail-biting stuff. Of course, Tama kicked out and won shortly thereafter with the Gun Stun. ***1/2

 

B Block: SANADA (4) def. Toru Yano (2) in 4:33 via Ringout

• This was the best Yano match of the tour so far, and one of the best examples of two distinct ‘characters’ meeting in a singles match. SANADA’s grim, stoic nature clashed perfectly with Yano’s mocking trickery, leading to a heated couple of minutes.
• Right away, Yano tried to punk out SANADA, but failed a rollup. He then went straight for the turnbuckle, but SANADA was on him.
• The dynamic of the match for the remaining minutes was that SANADA simply knew Yano’s schtick too well. He anticipated Yano’s duct tape from the Omega match and threw it away to a large pop. He ended it in perfect fashion, taking Yano up the ramp and putting him in the Paradise Lock for a ringout victory. Excellent work for such a simple match. ***1/2

 

B Block: EVIL (6) def. Minoru Suzuki (4) in 8:38 via EVIL

• This was very short for these two, but it accomplished everything it needed to. EVIL struck me as the most likely of the ‘young guys’ (EVIL, SANADA, Tama Tonga, Juice Robinson) to pick up a victory over Suzuki, and that’s what happened here.
• After heated exchanges in yesterday’s preview tag, this started with a suitable brawl to the outside. EVIL was ready for Suzuki’s antics however, controlling him on the outside and pushing the match back to the ring after the chair spot.
• Things went to the finish very quickly back in the ring. Suzuki invoked the kind of ‘vengeful veteran’ approach he did against AJ Styles, working over EVIL’s finger whenever the official wasn’t looking. This built up really well to EVIL catching Suzuki off-guard during the sleeper transition to hit EVIL STO for a clean, unquestionable victory. Awesome work. ***3/4
• At 6 points, EVIL ties at least for second place in the block. Not too shabby.

 

 

B Block: Kazuchika Okada (8) def. Satoshi Kojima (0) in 15:26 via Rainmaker

• This one wasn’t a blowaway in-ring contest, but it featured some of the strongest storytelling, character work and crowd psychology of the tour thus far.
• Okada comes into this unbeaten, Kojima comes in with 0 points. They play that dynamic straight, as Okada wipes out Kojima early on. He implements all his signature offense quickly, especially his old heel trick of tossing the opponent outside and waiting for them.
• Okada’s heel work early on was incredible, really turning the crowd up to 11. As Kojima looked to recover outside, Okada threw Tenzan into the ring, teasing a confrontation with the man he beat last year. This was an absurdly dramatic spot, really building up Kojima’s recovery.
• When Koji fired back up, the work was fantastic. Koji invoked the Mongolian Chops, lariat battles, top-rope Koji Cutters and even the Cozy Crush Dynamite. Okada’s selling was absolutely fantastic, especially for surprising left-handed or northern lariats.
• Of course, the story here ultimately came to the fact that Okada is unstoppable right now. He survived Kojima’s mounting offense and finally hit the Rainmaker. Unlike with other high-level matches, it was only one Rainmaker that did Kojima in, which added a nice continuity to their 2013 bouts. ****1/4

 

B Block: Michael Elgin (4) def. Kenny Omega (6) in 24:39 via Burning Hammer

• This is one of the best matches of the tournament so far. A shade below Okada/Elgin in my estimation, but probably the second-best of the tour right now.
• This started out a small bit slowly, largely with the two aiming to get the better of each other in rope-running spots not unlike their awesome G1 Special match earlier this month. Although it was well-built, this segment felt a slightly aimless in the early going.
• Things really heated up on the outside. Elgin was razor-sharp, and had an answer for all of Omega’s overconfident work. As with the Okada match, Elgin had any of the regular spots scouted, as he caught Omega off a barricade dive and hit a crazy overhead suplex on the mats.
• For the rest of the near-25 minutes this went, the name of the game was innovation. These two have such a distinct style with one another that they threw in a lot of new and interesting mechanics to their work. Omega being the overconfident favourite and Elgin needing the win to survive made for a more heated outing than before, especially with this being their first true main event slot together.
• Amongst the most exciting spots of the bout, Elgin hit an awkward-but-hugely-impressive reverse ‘rana to escape the One Winged Angel. As the match really hit its home stretch, Omega busted out the Misawa-influenced Tiger Driver. It may seem a tad fanboyish, but if anybody knows how to toy with expectation, it’s Omega.
• The finish was phenomenal. Elgin finally hit the Elgin Bomb, only for Omega to be the second NJPW star to kick out of the move. With the crowd firmly spent, Elgin simply blasted Omega with two brutal Dr. Death-inspired Backdrop Drivers, before ending it for good with the Kobashi-style Burning Hammer. This was a wonderful finish to a match that worked a crowd of less than 3000 into the apex of potential heat. Tons of amazing references to wrestling history, as well as the seeming climax of the Omega/Elgin series for now. ****3/4

 

On the whole, this is one of the best shows of the tournament so far. Tama Tonga and Yano have some of their best matches so far, while EVIL/Suzuki, Okada/Kojima and Omega/Elgin ranged from very good to outright classic, all consecutively. Okada leads the block with 8 points, while Omega’s first loss ties him with EVIL at 6 points. Very interesting points layout thus far. Our next B Block show takes place in Hiroshi Tanahashi’s hometown of Gifu.

• Kazuchika Okada (8) vs Juice Robinson (2)
• Satoshi Kojima (0) vs Kenny Omega (6)
• Michael Elgin (4) vs SANADA (4)
• Tama Tonga (4) vs Minoru Suzuki (4)
• EVIL (6) vs Toru Yano (2)

Kazuchika Okada vs Juice Robinson finds the biggest underdog in NJPW squaring off with the most protected wrestler in maybe all of wrestling. The drama here will likely be off the charts, and could see Juice pulling a Tomohiro Ishii to pick up that major upset as his star-making win. However, the fact that Juice got the Day 2 win over Kojima leads me to believe that he won’t do it vs Okada here. Nevertheless, this should be a great mix of heavyweights, and the crowd investment will no doubt be palpable.

Satoshi Kojima vs Kenny Omega is likely the next-biggest underdog match you could book with the remaining guys. Kojima is winless in the G1 while Omega is coming off his first loss. That likely means Omega is getting the win back here, but Koji needs the win to remain in contention in the block. Gedo is no stranger in recent years to kickout guys out early, but with Koji not being on a retirement run, I would desperately like to see him pick up that win here. The potential for the match in the ring is very high, regardless of outcome.

Michael Elgin vs SANADA has sleeper hit potential all over it. Elgin is such a dynamic performer with a style so pleasing to live crowds. Meanwhile, SANADA is working the babyface role super well on the tour so far, and crowds are hugely into the guy. With these two both potential block winners, the result could seriously affect the entire layout of the block by the last day. Beyond that drama, the battle of Mutoh-inspired native vs AJPW-inspired foreigner is a unique and intriguing matchup.

Tama Tonga vs Minoru Suzuki has essentially the same vibe as EVIL/Suzuki. You’ve got a former Young Lion that, in fact, lost to Suzuki in a singles match way back when, out for vengeance. However, the fact is that Tama is not as good a worker as EVIL. It remains to be seen how the two will mesh, as Suzuki is unpredictable when it comes to where he busts out a classic, but I’m not counting down the seconds. Points-wise, this also seems an obvious win for Suzuki, who is 2-2 in the block thus far.

EVIL vs Toru Yano sounds like the perfect place for another Yano spoiler victory. EVIL is coming off a major victory over Suzuki, while Yano has only won one match out of four. With their having faced off last year and EVIL picking up the victory, all signs point towards a return loss. Last year’s was brief and entertaining, so this one could see EVIL fill in the spot Ibushi and Shibata traditionally fill with Yano.