NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 10 Results and Thoughts

G1 Climax 27 Day 10

Gifu Industrial Hall, Gifu, Gifu

Attendance: 2452

We cross the halfway point of this year’s G1 with a show from Hiroshi Tanahashi’s hometown of Gifu. As with Kazuchika Okada in Aichi, the hometown hero is not featured in a singles match today. Instead, Okada main events today lowest-ranking tournament competitor, Juice Robinson. This main event promises to be one of the biggest babyface performances of Robinson’s career, and possibly more strong heel work out of Okada.

Just below that, we’ve got Satoshi Kojima battling for his last chance at block victory against current number two, Kenny Omega. The combined babyface power of Juice and Koji will surely prove a major force for Okada and Omega to overcome as block leaders, and make for some incredible drama. We’ve also got a key bout between potential upset block winners SANADA and Michael Elgin, in what could be an under-the-radar classic. EVIL vs Toru Yano promises potential upsets and spoilers, while Tama Tonga and Minoru Suzuki could be another case of Young Lion vengeance coming to haunt Suzuki.

 

Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens) def. David Finlay, Katsuya Kitamura and Tetsuhiro Yagi in 5:45 via Package Piledriver

• This one comes as a presumable result of YOSHI-HASHI having to fill in for Jado higher up on the card. As a result, it’s nice and short, with Bullet Club making quick work of the Young Lion team.

 

 

Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr and El Desperado) def. Togi Makabe and Syota Umino in 7:23 via Numero Dos

• A relatively lengthy undercard tag featuring Togi Makabe and Zack Sabre Jr isn’t my idea of a good time. This was fine from a technical standpoint, but ZSJ/Makabe isn’t the most anticipated matchup in the world, and it never felt as though this match warranted 7+ minutes.
• That said, seeing El Desperado putting down Syota Umino was fun. Despy’s work on this tour has been great at getting him over as an individual star, and he works extremely well with the Young Lions.

 

CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI) def. Yuji Nagata and Tomoyuki Oka in 7:06 via Butterfly Lock

• This was quite a bit of fun. Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI tagged together vs G.O.D. last year, and their chemistry as a team is actually very strong. Pairing the two against Nagata and Young Lion standout Tomoyuki Oka made for a very enjoyable seven minutes.
• The predictable dynamic had Ishii and Nagata killing one another whenever in together, while YOSHI (who goes up against Fale on Day 11) whipped Oka around. The teases of Ishii/Oka were also very promising for the future, as were callbacks to Nagata/YOSHI from opening day. Very enjoyable.

 

Taguchi Japan (Hiroshi Tanahashi and Ryusuke Taguchi) def. Kota Ibushi and Hirai Kawato in 8:50 via Oh, My and Gar-Ankle

• Despite being the longest of the undercard tags, this was another very strong match. Tanahashi/Ibushi main event Day 11 in Ibushi’s hometown, so the tension between the two here was awesome, while Ryusuke Taguchi and Hirai Kawato makes for one of the best fall guy pairings.
• Ibushi’s work in these tags has been one of the highlights of the undercard throughout the tour. Against Tanahashi in grumpy mode, this was a very entertaining matchup. Kawato’s fire and Taguchi’s charismatic energy just added even more to one of the better undercard tags of the tour.

 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito and Hiromu Takahashi) def. CHAOS (Hirooki Goto and Gedo) in 8:24 via D

• Probably the most notable thing here was that Hiromu came out and seemed to officially come to terms with the loss of Daryl. It’s those consistent developments to his act that make Hiromu one of the best and most engaging performers in wrestling.
• In the same vein, Hiromu’s charisma certainly went a way in elevating this for what it was. Gedo’s a good foil for his antics, while Naito and Goto both brought a predictable-but-entertaining few sequences ahead of their singles match. To finish the bout, Hiromu debuted a new submission finish – a triangle choke aptly named ‘D.’

 

B Block: EVIL (8) def. Toru Yano (2) in 1:33 via EVIL

• This was awesome. EVIL got the one-up on Yano last year, but you’d think that wouldn’t be the case with such a loaded block this year. Instead, EVIL comes in ready for Yano, totally reverses his tricks, and puts the Sublime Master Thief down with impunity.
• Something that was especially neat about this was that it differentiated itself completely from SANADA’s victory over Yano. There, SANADA’s first singles match with Yano featured a longer period of SANADA learning what it takes to beat Yano. Here, EVIL comes in with experience from last year of having already won and makes it two for two here. Awesome squash. **1/4

 

B Block: Minoru Suzuki (6) def. Tama Tonga (4) in 10:29 via Gotch-style Piledriver

• This was… different, to say the least.
• As Suzuki made his entrance, accompanied as always by flag-bearing Desperado, Tama made the sneak attack. He took out Despy, following Suzuki along with the flag before making his move when Suzuki turned to investigate.
• Beyond that cute angle, there wasn’t much else to this. They spent a significant portion of the match brawling throughout the entire crowd, really making their way around the venue. Nothing especially engaging, though.
• Back in the ring, the most memorable spot by far saw Tama and Suzuki both enter the ring from opposite ends, chairs in hand, and perform something of a sword fight. Another cute moment, but not especially impressive or heated.
• Unlike EVIL, Tama could not get the best of Suzuki, who put him away with a Gotch-style Piledriver in ten minutes. It felt somewhat longer than this, as the individual segments of the match tended to drag. **1/4

 

B Block: SANADA (6) def. Michael Elgin (4) in 15:06 via Rounding Body Press

• Having each only reached 4 points, both with losses to block leader Kazuchika Okada, this meeting was pivotal for both Michael Elgin and SANADA. As the two dark horses to win the block in an upset, this would be the match to indicate who may be in that position by the end of the tour.
• Ring-wise, this was one of my most anticipated, somewhat under-the-radar matches of the tournament. Elgin has knocked out the arguable two best matches of the tournament so far vs Okada and Kenny Omega, so a bout vs SANADA (who is always on the brink of a major breakout) is very exciting. I would say that the match delivered quite well, building out of a slow start to an exciting and unpredictable finish.
• The dynamic of the match was very engaging for most of the fifteen minutes, pitting Elgin’s strength and confidence against SANADA’s dynamic, unpredictable range of offense. There were some great spots, seeing Elgin dominate SANADA early only to be repaid with a plancha, or SANADA landing some very impressive aerial moves later on. The spots wherein Elgin grounded SANADA with his ferocious strength were very impressive, and really worked to elevate the match near the close. ***3/4
• With a solid, impressive victory, SANADA pulls into a better block position as Elgin circles the drain.

 

B Block: Kenny Omega (10) def. Satoshi Kojima (0) in 16:42 via One Winged Angel

• This was awesome. I feel like not enough people are giving credit to Satoshi Kojima on this tour, and this might be the most glaring example yet. Kojima has put in a rake of consistent performances, making the most of perhaps the most stacked G1 lineup in history to put out a series of great matches. Vs a performer on Omega’s level, he puts out arguably his best match yet.
• Omega’s obviously no slouch where match performance is concerned, although he came out wearing his ‘house show tights,’ which appeared to be torn, as a seeming sendoff. It seems as though some take umbrage to the disrespect towards Kojima, but I think it added an extra edge to the ‘Kojima vs top guy’ dynamic, separate from the great Okada match.
• As such, Omega dominated the early portion. He utilised his familiar formula to gain the advantage, before Koji fired back with great babyface offense. He placed his signature moves so well to make you believe he could pull it off – and Omega sold them incredibly well. Omega gets flack for not taking his matches particularly seriously, but he was on fine form here. Even selling the corner machine gun chops felt like retribution after all the tags they shared in the last year.
• Unfortunately for Koji, moves that could have won him matches in years prior didn’t get the job done, and he never found the Cozy Lariat. Omega fired back with some big moves of his own, and finally put Koji away with a very snug One Winged Angel. Excellent bout. ****1/4
• Omega trails Okada by two points still, while Koji exits the race for block victory after a fifth straight loss.

 

B Block: Kazuchika Okada (12) def. Juice Robinson (2) in 20:29 via Rainmaker

• Although this is a big-time Okada main event, it’s all about Juice Robinson here. This is the former NXT jobber’s biggest match ever – a G1 Climax main event vs the world’s best wrestler. Naturally, Okada plays the heel here to establish Juice more than ever a big-time babyface.
• However, this match and its dynamic also exposed the biggest weakness of today’s show. Gifu is not the hottest wrestling crowd in the world. If this took place in any of the Tokyo area venues, or Osaka, this would have been a red-hot match from the get-go. Instead, a more reserved crowd results in a lot of build-up work from Okada over Juice’s busted knee, slowing the pace down significantly.
• Although the match wasn’t quite the heated babyface work you might expect on paper, Juice’s selling was top tier while Okada’s heel work was some of the best he’s done. Even the quiet Gifu crowd really got into Juice’s work before the end, and his work towards some kind of a comeback in the match’s closing stretch seriously benefited from the crowd investment.
• The match’s conclusion was probably its strongest element – Juice nailing Okada with the closed-fist punches and making one last attempt to put Rainmaker away. Unfortunately, it was not to be as Okada caught Juice in the German suplex in the middle of Pulp Friction, finishing the bout with a final Rainmaker. Really strong performances that made Juice feel like a star, even with a weaker Gifu audience. ****
• Post-match, Okada apologised once more for simply being too good, even mocking Tanahashi’s signature post-match promo style.

 

On the whole, this was an undeniably good G1 day. Three matches worth watching at the top, plus a great little squash between EVIL and Yano. Tama Tonga and Minoru Suzuki was a bizarre spectacle, something that will no doubt please some and leave others scratching their heads. I would recommend skipping it unless you’re one of those that still holds out hope for Tama as a singles worker. Tama’s final test comes up next, as he co-mains Day 12 vs Okada, while EVIL gets the major opportunity vs Kenny Omega in the main event.

• Kenny Omega (10) vs EVIL (8)
• Kazuchika Okada (12) vs Tama Tonga (4)
• Minoru Suzuki (6) vs Satoshi Kojima (0)
• Michael Elgin (4) vs Toru Yano (2)
• SANADA (6) vs Juice Robinson (2)

On paper, Day 12 is the card of the tour whose quality depends entirely on the main event. SANADA/Juice may deliver big, as may Suzuki/Kojima. Okada may even prove himself a genuine genius and do something great with Tama Tonga. Realistically, however, this is all about how much we can expect from EVIL/Omega. EVIL has gotten over big with his surprising push on the tour, and even looks the favourite to defeat Okada on Day 14, but he’s still yet to face either block leader. Up against one of the most ambitious high-level wrestlers in the world, we’ll get a taste of exactly what EVIL can do in that main event position.

As I said, it would take a near-miracle even for Kazuchika Okada to do something really great with Tama Tonga. Tama’s a fantastic tag worker (G.O.D. vs GBH from World Tag League final last year was one of the best tag matches of the year), but he’s got little to offer in singles action. They matched up last year in one of Tama’s better singles matches, but still nothing at all special. Hopefully, with Okada going bananas as a worker this year, they can both step it up.

Minoru Suzuki and Satoshi Kojima is a longtime rivalry. Suzuki doesn’t fit into the Third Generation of NJPW stars, so it’s always fun to see him squaring off with Nagata, Kojima, etc. Especially here, where there exists a rivalry that stretches back to the last decade of AJPW. With Suzuki – older than Kojima – still operating as a major star while Koji goes through the ringer winless, it could make for one of the more interesting undercard matches of the tour.

Michael Elgin and Toru Yano is hard to predict. They had one of the most enjoyable Yano matches of last year’s tour, making great use of Elgin as a straight man. With Yano having pulled off the improbably upset last year, one assumes Elgin will pick up his third(!) win of the tour on his way to a respectable points total.

In one of the lower-key anticipated matches of the tour, Juice Robinson looks to bounce back from his big loss to Okada and finally make another dent on the leaderboard vs SANADA. These two displayed some strong chemistry in pre-G1 tag matches, and could even end up feuding after the tour ends. With Juice eliminated after his Okada match, it doesn’t look like he has a chance to top SANADA, however.