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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
Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, and Juice Robinson vs. Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Yojiro Takahashi, and Jay White)
Good hardcore-style villains faced off with wicked cheating villains in a match custom-built to entrance the crowd. Gedo joined Bullet Club outside of the ring, ready to mercilessly cheat, though it must be noted that the sexy PIETER was nowhere to be seen when Takahashi the Tokyo Pimp came down to the ring.
Hey look! It's Honma! Henare, Honma, and Robinson have all been wonderful in these exhibition matches, and tonight was no different. Honma and Takahashi went first, grappling roughly to begin chipping at each other.
Bullet Club worked together to ruin Juice and Henare outside the ring, and the slimy White couldn't keep Honma in a hold long enough to deny him the bottom rope. When the hold broke, Owens tagged in to throw Honma and get him into place for Takahashi to take him to the corner.
Once White tagged in, they traded chest chops but Honma was able to make his kokeshi move connect. Honma tagged Robinson in and Robinson ran thought White and Owens without mercy.
White and Robinson reversed each others' moves until White suplexed Robinson and tagged Owens in. Owens has been the backbone of Bullet Club's athletic prowess and he nearly matched Henare.
With Takahashi, Cobb was able to suplex Henare, and with White, he was able to deliver a package piledriver. Henare was down for the count. Once more, Bullet Club comes out on top!
Results: Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Yojiro Takahashi, and Jay White) def. Toa Henare, Tomoaki Honma, and Juice Robinson via pinfall
Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito)
LIJ members have very different looking entrances, but they flow well together and the camera work does an excellent job helping that along. The crowd adores Naito and LIJ in general, so this was set up to be a great preview match.
Cobb is 'on loan' to NJPW from Ring of Honor as part of their partnership, and he's had a strong performance throughout the tournament so far. Narita is my personal favorite of the non-Shooter young lions, for the record.
Ishii the Stone Pitbull squared off with Takagi first, equal in ferocity. The untagged four brawled in the crowd, but Naito found his way to a tag and a dirty referee distraction. Ishii was left in Bushi's hands for a moment, and Bushi found the strength to tag Narita in.
Narita wasn't in for long, and he tagged the massive wall that is Cobb in to face Naito. Cobb's strength was dwarfed by Naito's speed, and he took damage from Nito and BUSHI. He rallied, picking both men up to deliver a massive suplex.
Bushi, exhausted, was suplexed in short order by Narita, the freshest man in the match. The veterans took over in short order, and LIJ worked like a well-oiled machine to take him down piece by piece. Bushi hit Narita with a neckbreaker and his finisher to pin Narita.
Results: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito) def. Ren Narita, Jeff Cobb, and Tomohiro Ishii via pinfall
SANADA (6) vs Lance Archer (4)
Lance Archer came down the ramp and went around the ring beating up the ring attendants. He also braided his faux-hawk, which is, in my opinion, a questionable fashion choice. But I guess when you have hair as long as Archer, you eventually need to handle it with braids!
Sanada didn't make it down the ramp, Archer attacking him and hauling him to the ring as the starting bell sounded. Sanada's leaping rana took Archer outside the ring, and Archer speared Sanada into the blue barricade.
Archer took Sanada by the hair and smashed his face into the active camera before rolling him back into the ring and smacking another ring-attending young lion. Their traded chest chops left Archer standing tall twice, and he hit Sanada with the Black Hole Slam for a pinfall attempt.
Sanada absorbed Archer's boots and chops, and he survived being choked into the ropes. So much so that Sanada rallied with a dropkick to Archer's knee. He's far shorter than Archer, so he attacked Archer's legs to great effect.
Sanada flew into Archer outside the ring and rolled him back to have his springboard reversed into a chokeslam, then Sanada couldn't make his finisher connect. Two more pinfall attempts saw Sanada on his back as Archer stood over him again.
Archer missed his aerial attack and got his knees up to foil Sanada's jumps as well. Sanada couldn't finish his Skull End move and was caught in Archer's Everybody Dies face claw for a short time. A Japanese back-clutch hold roll-up was Sanada's answer to another quick series of reversals, and he picked up the 2 points.
Results: SANADA (8) def. Lance Archer (4) via pinfall
Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) vs Bad Luck Fale (4)
Bullet Club's Fale sauntered down to the ring with his brothers-in-arms Owens, Jado, and Jado's kendo stick. I was certain of shenanigans! The Ace, Tanahashi, was the crowd favorite and they had no trouble letting him and everyone around them know it.
Fale threw Tanahashi over the top rope, but Tanahashi didn't let go. He swung back into the ring to dominate Fale until Jado smacked Tanahashi in the back with the kendo stick. Owens worked Tanahashi into the blue barricade until Fale took his place.
Fale wrapped Tanahashi around the ringpost to punish the Ace's tender knee. Fale then distracted the ref and Owens did his own knee-related damage. When Tanahashi found his feet, he tried to drop Fale, but he wasn't strong enough and fell underneath him for a pinfall attempt.
Tanahashi was backed into the corner by Fale, rallying with dropkicks and a dragon screw leg whip to get Fale down on the mat. Tanahashi's holds didn't last until he locked in a figure-four, but Fale reversed it, leaving both men in reach of the bottom rope.
The hold was broken, and Fale stayed low, knocking Tanahashi flat on his back to stop his momentum. Tanahashi still tried to attempt a German suplex, but it ended with Fale sitting on his chest for a 2-count.
Tanahashi hit the Twist and Shout followed with a slingblade to attempt a pinfall. One aerial led to another attempted pinfall, and a third move was foiled by Jado's kendo stick. Fale's grenade move and ruined Bad Luck Fall led Fale to get creative, rolling Tanahashi up for a pinfall.
Results: Bad Luck Fale (6) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) via pinfall
Will Ospreay (4) vs KENTA (8)
Will Ospreay, the Aerial Assassin, and KENTA, the wrestler formerly known as Hideo Itami, were next. Where Kenta is a serious striker, Ospreay always looks like a vibrant superhero. For many, myself included, this was a dream match. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
The bell rang, and the men ran towards each other with a volley of short strikes. Both of their chops connected, and both of their kicks did too. They traded elbows once they were upright again.
Kenta delivered a DDT from the top rope and a clothesline to tenderize Ospreay's neck. Kenta rolled Ospreay out of the ring to repeatedly throw him into the barricades. He powerslammed Ospreay's back into the arena floor.
Ospreay was rolled back into the ring for more damage, Kenta's kicks peppered throughout. He put Ospreay into a neck hold that Ospreay fought out of, pulling Kenta's hands apart. Ospreay rallied with stiff strikes to the face and chest of Kenta.
Ospreay reversed Kenta's throw into an OsCutter, but Kenta threw him onto his neck, leading to a pinfall attempt. Ospreay didn't stay down, and he completed his Pip-Pip Cheerio move. Kenta ate a dropkick but he wrangled Ospreay over the ropes once he was outside the ring.
Kenta bodyslammed Ospreay into the edge of the ring, and Unno quickly started the 20-count. Ospreay struggled on the floor but made it back into the ring at 19. Kenta refused to let up, executing a brutal dropkick and a foot stomp that left Ospreay spitting and gasping.
Ospreay kicked out of Kenta's pinfall attempt and fought his way free of Kenta's Go To Sleep finisher. He took a flying knee and went down like a stone. They struggled to their knees and elbowed each other until they were fired up enough to stand and continue their fight.
Ospreay nearly fell to Kenta's holds, but he caught Kenta and powerbombed him for a 2-count. Ospreay went high, his best place, but Kenta got his knees up to foil Ospreay's shooting star.
The next hold from Kenta looked terrifying, and I wasn't sure if Ospreay or the audience was shouting. A psycho knee from Kenta kept Ospreay out of the air after the hold was broken. Ospreay rolled Kenta up and connected his OsCutter move. A hook kick and hidden blade took Kenta to his knees.
Ospreay completed his Stormbreaker finisher in short order and snatched the 2 points, and any chance of making the Finals, from Kenta.
Results: Will Ospreay (6) def. KENTA (8) via pinfall
Zack Sabre Jr. (6) vs Kota Ibushi (10)
Kota Ibushi had a chance to win the block if he continued his winning streak tonight, and Zack Sabre Jr. couldn't make the Final but he could foil Ibushi's ascension. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
The smug ZSJ was destined to have a good match with the Golden Star Ibushi, and the men tried to feel each other out while staying out of reach. Ibushi connected first, backing ZSJ into the ropes.
Ibushi found himself subjected to ZSJ's creative holds. But when they broke up ZSJ took his frustration out on the crowd, yelling a decidedly non-PG sentence at an unsupportive fan. ZSJ pushed Ibushi into the ropes but he rallied with head scissors and a throw.
Ibushi put his elbow into ZSJ's neck twice, but his hip toss attempt left him in reach for ZSJ's latest hold. Ibushi scrambled to the rope for the break, and ZSJ stood on Ibushi's tender ankle without mercy.
ZSJ kicked Ibushi in the chest and leg, getting Ibushi riled up. Ibushi performed a lovely snap rana to gain dominance. He had it ripped from him with ZSJ's hold around the ringpost. Ibushi cried out in pain and ZSJ drew him up to absorb yet more damage.
Ibushi's standing moonsault after a 2-strike 2-kick combo softened ZSJ a bit, but ZSJ wound his way around Ibushi. ZSJ locked in the STF which was broken, and Ibushi smacked him in the neck with a nasty kick. A Zack Driver turned the tables but didn't put Ibushi away.
Ibushi's Last Ride finisher was his response to the Zack Driver, and he didn't complete his pin either. ibushi exposed his knee and went for a strike, but ZSJ put Ibushi into a calf crusher. When Ibushi fought his way to the bottom rope, ZSJ showed his frustration. ZSJ took it out on Ibushi's torso and leg, kicking him over and over.
Ibushi got to his feet and landed a palm strike before exposing his other knee. ZSJ rolled him up and continued to do it until Ibushi finally fought free. Once Ibushi was up, he completed his Kamagoye finisher and pinned ZSJ for the 3-count.
Results: Kota Ibushi (12) def. Zack Sabre Jr. (6) via pinfall
EVIL's fans are deeply dedicated, and they were equal in sound if not number to Okada's contingent. EVIL still has the most intimidating entrance gear, and his face paint looks just like my face if I fall asleep in my makeup! Okada is a total rockstar wherever he goes, so his entrance was perfectly gold and purple. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
Okada and EVIL were acutely aware that if EVIL won, the A-block standings would open up considerably. Once the bell sounded, the veterans with so much at stake took their time locking up. EVIL put Okada into a headlock that Okada had the strength to power out of.
They grappled again, putting Okada back under EVIL's control. When EVIL put distance between them for a powerful move, Okada threw him with a hip toss. Okada connected a neckbreaker that stunned EVIL.
EVIL reeled and Okada's elbow to the neck kept him weak enough to take a shoulder throw and a sliding face kick. EVIL went outside the ring, fighting back by kicking Okada into the blue barriers and flipping him over them with a clothesline. Okada recovered a bit on his way back to the ring; he beat the 20-count easily.
Neither Okada or EVIL kept a decisive lead, though EVIL's rest holds took quite a lot of energy to fight out of. Okada dodged a senton from EVIL to take a moment on his back to breathe.
EVOL found his feet and hauled Okada up for more, but he flew when EVIL went outside the ring. He took EVIL to the floor and rolled him back to the ring. He cornered EVIL before delivering a textbook DDT. Okada wasn't able to keep EVIL down for the 3-count.
EVIL's rally put Okada into the corner for a bronco buster, and Okada barely kicked free. Okada took a flapjack to EVIL, taking the wind out of the LIJ member. Still, EVIL was feisty enough to dodge Okada's neckbreaker attempt and punished Okada's leg.
Okada was in the corner and EVIL ran in for the attack, but Okada, with his second chance, delivered a neckbreaker and a bodyslam before climbing the ropes. Okada's elbow drop wasn't where he stopped either; he called for the wide shot and attempted a Rainmaker finisher. EVIL fought free.
Okada put Evil on the top rope and dropkicked him over the ringpost and into the arena floor. Rolling out of the ring to bring EVIL back, Okada took a moment to slam him into the blue barricades. He proceeded to kick EVIL over them, but EVIL threw a chair at Okada when he went for a third move.
EVIL brought out two more chairs to set up for his Swing for the Fences move, in which EVIL snapped one chair around Okada's neck and swung a second chair into it like a baseball bat. When EVIL brought him back to the ring, Okada stayed in the corner and absorbed damage.
EVIL pulled Okada up and slammed him to the mat from the top rope. Evil couldn't finish his Everything Is Evil finisher, but Okada also couldn't make his dropkick connect at first. Once he did, both men stayed down for quite some time. They stood, finally, forehead to forehead, and traded stiff strikes to the head, neck, and chest.
A trio of uppercuts put EVIL on his knees but Okada didn't use his opening well. It was Okada who suffered, but he fought out of EVIL's Darkness Falls finisher in the end. Okada delivered a tombstone to EVIL, prompting them to reverse finisher attempts until EVIL made Okada hit the mat.
A pinfall attempt put Okada in place to eat a Darkness Falls finisher, but he got his shoulder up at the very last moment to the crowd's elation. Okada fought for his Rainmaker to connect, and he found a short one, and then a full one, to deliver to EVIL.
EVIL reversed a third Rainmaker into a pair of suplexes, leaving EVIL to find his feet first. EVIL's lariat missed but Okada's kick didn't, and the call for 5 minutes remaining signaled another dropkick from the Heavyweight Champion.
EVIL gambled everything on a headbutt and lariat and it didn't quite pay off. Okada is a master of beating a 3-count. His short-armed Rainmaker and patented dropkick led to a spinning Rainmaker.
One last full Rainmaker finished everyone's climb to the top except Ibushi, and Okada took the 2 points in a decisive win.
Results: Kazuchika Okada (14) def. EVIL (8) via pinfall
See you tomorrow for Night 16, as the B-block goes hard!
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