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Post by TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out on Jul 14, 2019 3:42:28 GMT -5
KENTA's been absolute money so far
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 14, 2019 3:48:35 GMT -5
KENTA looking real motivated
Big win over Tana
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Post by deadzeppelin on Jul 14, 2019 3:48:59 GMT -5
Now that was f***ING KENTA!!! Excellent match
ZSJ was robbed, Okada didn't kickout
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Post by TOK Hehe'd Around & Found Out on Jul 14, 2019 3:49:37 GMT -5
Lmao Tana big leagued KENTA
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2019 3:50:10 GMT -5
Amazing main event. The ring rust that was apparent against Ibushi looks shaken off and KENTA looked fantastic. I tuned in late, so haven’t seen Fale-Archer and don’t think I’ll bother. But those 4 matches were all brilliant, offering something different and being really satisfying in different ways.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 14, 2019 3:50:31 GMT -5
Tana a sore loser lol
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 14, 2019 3:57:30 GMT -5
Totally, but it does make sense. Tanahashi, in kayfabe or not, has been very critical of Shibata's strong style philosophy for obvious reasons by just looking at Shibata, and KENTA's cut from that same cloth. That, and Tana just seems to sell frustration by being really pissy on losses like this, anyway, which is always good for a laugh.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 14, 2019 4:12:18 GMT -5
Totally, but it does make sense. Tanahashi, in kayfabe or not, has been very critical of Shibata's strong style philosophy for obvious reasons by just looking at Shibata, and KENTA's cut from that same cloth. That, and Tana just seems to sell frustration by being really pissy on losses like this, anyway, which is always good for a laugh. Oh yeah no doubt I just love when Tana gets all pissy because he gets on his high horse so much when he wants to contradict himself lol
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 14, 2019 4:19:05 GMT -5
Totally, but it does make sense. Tanahashi, in kayfabe or not, has been very critical of Shibata's strong style philosophy for obvious reasons by just looking at Shibata, and KENTA's cut from that same cloth. That, and Tana just seems to sell frustration by being really pissy on losses like this, anyway, which is always good for a laugh. Oh yeah no doubt I just love when Tana gets all pissy because he gets on his high horse so much when he wants to contradict himself lol It kinda reminds me of Hogan in the past, like when Sid threw him out of the Rumble, though Tana's not AS bad, and seems to be doing it on purpose, as opposed to Hogan, who we were expected to side with when he had tantrums.
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chrom
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Post by chrom on Jul 14, 2019 6:27:49 GMT -5
How'd the ring not collapse from that superplex
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The Kevstaaa
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jul 14, 2019 10:48:15 GMT -5
NJPW G1 Climax 29 Night Three July 14th, 2019 | Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 4,074
The B Block surprised me by equaling the much more loaded A Block with a strong opening night. We’re back to that A Block group for their second night of action. This card features four matches that sound really interesting on paper, so I’m looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [2] vs. Lance Archer [2] On night one, I said I only preferred Archer to two guys in this block. One was Ospreay and Fale is the other. I quite enjoyed Fale in his first few G1s but last year he reached a point where he became awful. Jado was with Fale and he attacked Archer with the kendo stick. They brawled in the crowd for a while. Archer turned the tide and Jado again used the kendo stick. I actually quite liked Archer’s performance here. He did well, but Fale continued to bring little to no effort. But then he busted out one of the biggest superplexes you’ll ever see. Archer hit an impressive chokeslam and won with the EBD Claw in 10:12. It was a decent brawl that was ultimately better than expected. Archer has outperformed Ospreay and gotten something watchable out of Fale. Archer the GOAT. [**½]
A Block: SANADA [2] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay [0] SANADA is such an interesting wrestler. He can kind of adapt to any style, which makes him an ideal opponent for many. Technical bout against Sabre? He fits in. Showing off athleticism against Ospreay? He nails it. A lot of the early exchanges were based on that. As smooth as they were, I wasn’t a fan. It felt like they were doing it for the sake of it, rather than because it made sense within the match. Everything they did just looked so great. From the aerial stuff to some of the strikes to the counters they pulled off. It looked easy but is actually quite difficult. I respect the hell out of that. They went into the expected counter battle late. Ospreay hit the Oscutter, held on, and rolled into Storm Breaker to win his first G1 match in 17:06. As I said, from a wrestling standpoint, I dug it. This was crisp as hell. It just felt kind of hollow and lacked drama. Neither guy has nailed the ability to captivate with their storytelling. [***¾]
A Block: IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada [2] vs. RevPro British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. [0] Shouldn’t two heavyweight champions facing off be higher on the card? Anyway, Okada beat Sabre at Sakura Genesis last year (****¼), while Sabre beat him at Strong Style Evolved UK (***¾). I love undercard Okada. He keeps it simple and usually performs better than when he tries for some epic main event. Sabre has been built to the point where his European Clutch is a believable near fall against the top guy after about three minutes. Each move or hold he did felt like a threat to Okada. It was like he had an answer for everything. Okada put the focus on Sabre’s neck following a vicious looking DDT and a disgusting Tombstone. Sabre went after the arm to remove the Rainmaker. Okada still hit it, winning in 12:01. An Okada match only going 12 minutes? Sign me up. I loved the idea that Sabre was in control, so Okada could only do his greatest hits. My biggest gripe was Okada still hitting the Rainmaker despite the arm work. [****]
A Block: EVIL [0] vs. Kota Ibushi [0] An intriguing first ever matchup. Ibushi entered with a bad ankle and that quickly became a target. He can’t even get his usual height on a dropkick or anything like that because of it. I thought Ibushi did a good job of selling it and modifying his offense to fit the narrative. He started throwing strikes and focusing more on that aspect of his well-rounded game. EVIL’s leg work was fine, but it went on for a bit too long all things considered. The final stretch went away from it a bit and went into the traditional counter stuff. I didn’t mind it but it did feel somewhat out of place. Either way, EVIL won with the STO after 19:11. The leg work dragged at points but other than that, this was very good. A hard hitting match with an unexpected story being told surrounding the ankle. It’ll be interesting to see where that takes Ibushi going forward. [***¾]
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi [0] vs. KENTA [2] Katsuyori Shibata joined commentary, not picking a side to corner. I loved the dynamic of this match. Tanahashi had a look of disgust and annoyance on his face the whole time. As if KENTA and his style of wrestling was beneath him. Meanwhile, KENTA was all about being the disrespectful little shit we all always loved him for. That gave this a level of intensity that the other matches have kind of lacked. KENTA kicked the shit out of Tanahashi, so he started in with dragon screws and focusing on the leg. Simple, yet effective. I loved KENTA pulling out the Shibata sleeper/PK combo and Tanahashi being wise enough to have it scouted. KENTA still hit it and added a GTS that Tanahashi sold like death, winning in 18:35. Just what I wanted. KENTA still has a few spots that look awkward, but he’s rounding into shape. They had an intense match playing perfectly to both of their styles. I love KENTA having his swagger and being a dick. [****]
Overall: 9/10. The first great night of the G1 Climax. Two matches right at ****, two just a shade under it, and even the Fale/Archer match exceeded their relatively low expectations. Just a really enjoyable series of matches.
A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS | KENTA | 4 (2-0) | Hirooki Goto | 2 (1-0) | Kazuchika Okada | 4 (2-0) | Tomohiro Ishii | 2 (1-0) | Lance Archer | 4 (2-0) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-0) | Bad Luck Fale | 2 (1-1) | Jon Moxley | 2 (1-0) | Will Ospreay
| 2 (1-1) | Juice Robinson | 2 (1-0) | SANADA | 2 (1-1) | Jay White | 0 (0-1) | EVIL | 2 (1-1) | Jeff Cobb | 0 (0-1) | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 0 (0-2) | Tetsuya Naito | 0 (0-1) | Kota Ibushi | 0 (0-2) | Taichi | 0 (0-1) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 0 (0-2) | Shingo Takagi | 0 (0-1) |
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Convoy
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Post by Convoy on Jul 14, 2019 12:11:11 GMT -5
Love how Mox keeps calling Shota "Shooter" as a nickname.
Archer/Fale was better than it had any right to be. I always preferred Archer over Bulldog Jr. (Lance just "gets" Japanese audiences), but he's doing very well for himself right now. Suzuki-gun has a reloaded heavyweight onslaught, and that's with Suzuki himself on the outside-looking-in. This was also announced initially as the semi-main - clearly they shuffled things for the better.
I was strangely surprised that Ospreay defeated SANADA, which is weird since that was my prediction in two separate entries. Great match, and one that (I'll admit) I wouldn't mind seeing for the IC title at a big event in the future. Also liked how, when Ospreay jumped out of the Paradise Lock, the crowd was almost upset by it instead of cheering.
If Okada wrestled every match at the pace of his bout with ZSJ, I'd be a bigger fan. That whole match was a blast, and I bit on every pinning combination by Zack. It was interesting to see ZSJ break-down like that after, but it was probably the realization that he won't be main-eventing the Copper Box.
Great bout between EVIL and Ibushi. I predicted an EVIL win, but that ending stretch was more definitive of a victory than expected. Ibushi's next match (vs. Ospreay) will be important to see if he turns on the jets to run the gamut, and/or if there's a chance for Okada on the final day of A Block.
OK, KENTA. Now you have my attention. That was the match I wanted to see from you, and now I'm excited to see more. Tana is always great, but he is absolutely at his best against opponents that make him fight from behind. In fact, this bout reminded me of his previous matches with Suzuki, including their criminally underrated battle from last year's G1. I split my decisions on KENTA in each of my prediction entries - 14pts in #1 (losses to Ibushi & Fale) and 12pts in #2 (losses to SANADA, Fale & Ospreay). I'm feeling good about my second entry.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2019 12:18:34 GMT -5
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Convoy
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Post by Convoy on Jul 14, 2019 13:04:32 GMT -5
Forgot to post this last week - it's a nice reference image of the tournament matches. I found it to be helpful in predicting Gedo's booking patterns as well. {Spoiler}
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 14, 2019 13:13:12 GMT -5
I hope Cobb beats Moxley to set up for a US title shot.
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Post by HMARK Center on Jul 14, 2019 16:36:52 GMT -5
Ugh, I didn't get to watch all five matches from Sunday as closely as I wanted to, had my attention split for a good chunk of it, will have to see if I can rewatch a little.
Felt like the final four matches got their shine going more as they went on, the closing stretches stood out more, especially some of the bites Zach was getting on his pinning combos against Okada and the way that Ibushi was playing up how much he loved getting rocked by EVIL...until EVIL unleashed the onslaught at the end.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 14, 2019 16:48:34 GMT -5
Oh yeah no doubt I just love when Tana gets all pissy because he gets on his high horse so much when he wants to contradict himself lol It kinda reminds me of Hogan in the past, like when Sid threw him out of the Rumble, though Tana's not AS bad, and seems to be doing it on purpose, as opposed to Hogan, who we were expected to side with when he had tantrums. Yeah, Tana knows he is being an asshole and dares them to call him out on it. KENTA was whooping his ass and he beat him in a style Tana absolutely hates while also finishing him with the PK and GTS. It is always fun to see Tana be a dick because he is such a great face
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Post by ANuclearError on Jul 14, 2019 17:14:39 GMT -5
Also, fair play to Gedo. Archer is currently on 4 points while Ibushi, ZSJ and Tanahashi are all on 0... and I'm actually rather pleased for the big guy.
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Post by Cyno on Jul 14, 2019 17:35:33 GMT -5
Lance Archer has been damned impressive lately.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 14, 2019 17:43:30 GMT -5
Lance Archer has been damned impressive lately. This year has been a really good year him Started with the NJC and is now still going into the G1
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