chrom
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Post by chrom on Jul 18, 2019 10:27:34 GMT -5
Real good main event today
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2019 11:22:51 GMT -5
Phenomenal main event. Both guys had a great match, without having to murder each other.
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Post by brettappedout (BLM) on Jul 18, 2019 12:19:24 GMT -5
Saw a gif of Osprey nearly dying again. f***ing A!
You can do all the neck rolls and exercises, but someone is going to get seriously injury like that guy with with stuff cat did.
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Convoy
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Post by Convoy on Jul 18, 2019 12:30:30 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm pretty hyped for Ishii/Mox tomorrow. Also believe that Jay is two seconds away from snapping and murdering everyone.
KENTA/Archer was fun, but it felt like the crowd deflated when Archer tapped. He was clearly the favorite, and it showed every time a portion of the crowd tried to get a KENTA chant going.
Never went back and re-watched EVIL/SANADA from two years ago, but my initial belief is that this one was the better bout. Glad that EVIL won, since you couldn't have him be content with losing to his tag partner twice. SANADA is still getting some big wins in this G1 (I have him being the one to hand KENTA his first singles defeat in New Japan).
Okada/Fale was as good as their matches usually are. Fale works better with Tana, but this wasn't horrible or anything.
Damn Tana/ZSJ was great. We talk about Ishii/Naito and Hiromu/Lee as guaranteed classics, but I don't think it's possible for Tanahashi and Zack to have a bad match together. For a relatively new rivalry, they compliment and counter each other so well. It's 1a for MOTT with Ishii/White as my 1b. ZSJ is about to go on a run of tapping people out.
One word for Ibushi/Ospreay: OUCH. Both guys looked like everything hurt going into the match, and damn sure kept hurting during and after. Plus, we got asshole Ibushi, which is really the best version. Like Naito/White, I expect Ibushi to turn on the jets for the remainder of the tournament.
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Post by YAKMAN is ICHIBAN on Jul 18, 2019 12:50:31 GMT -5
I'm up through Day 3.
LOVING the booking of the tournament so far. Lots of great little stories.
KENTA coming in like a goddamn title wave and beating both finalists of last years G1
The parallel of Ibushi and Tanahashi both struggling at 0 and 2.
ZSJ coming short with Okada, throwing his little temper tantrum then resolving to get his title shot by winning the G1.
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Post by Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! on Jul 18, 2019 13:51:10 GMT -5
Lance Archer has been one of my dark horse favorite wrestlers in this tournament. Kenta going a long way to show his WWE run was just a fluke
Amazingly Ospreay Vs. Ibushi was even better than the first time.
Okada Vs. Fale was one of the most ridiculous Superman performances I've ever seen.
EVIL is honestly my least favorite wrestler in the tourney so his match with Sanada didn't do much for me, and I'm kind of annoyed he won.
Surprised to see ZSJ lose three straight, and I'm wondering where this is going.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2019 14:46:56 GMT -5
Surprised to see ZSJ lose three straight, and I'm wondering where this is going. I’m wondering that to. The idea I had was that it would lead to Suzuki turning on Sabre, due to him not getting into the g1 while Sabre was a disappointment, and leads to the inevitable and glorious Suzuki-Sabre feud.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2019 15:30:15 GMT -5
Happy Tana finally got on the board.
Some solid matches on tonight's show, going to try to watch mainly for Ishii and Moxley
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 18, 2019 15:52:44 GMT -5
Surprised to see ZSJ lose three straight, and I'm wondering where this is going. I’m wondering that to. The idea I had was that it would lead to Suzuki turning on Sabre, due to him not getting into the g1 while Sabre was a disappointment, and leads to the inevitable and glorious Suzuki-Sabre feud. Makes me wonder if Taichi would side with either of them, or if he'd try to mediate if it came to that.
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Post by EZ: Brainy Bae on Jul 18, 2019 16:13:09 GMT -5
My reaction to the booking of Naito so far... Stanley's face is Gedo's exact response
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Post by The Kevstaaa on Jul 18, 2019 16:30:13 GMT -5
NJPW G1 Climax Night Five July 18th, 2019 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Whenever the G1 Climax comes to Korakuen Hall, it feels like a big deal. We’re usually in for some quality shows. Today was the first of three straight nights there. The A Block is up first with a Wrestle Kingdom rematch (Ibushi/Ospreay) in the main event, as well as rematches from past G1 bangers (Sabre/Tanahashi) and some lesser outings (Fale/Okada).
A Block: KENTA [4] vs. Lance Archer [4] Who decided this opens? These are wo undefeated wrestlers, people. Show them respect. Archer towered over KENTA. He also surprisingly had the crowd in his corner. KENTA spent the early portions of this match kicking away at Archer in an attempt to chop him down. Archer fired up and used his size advantage to get in control. The Korakuen crowd added an interesting dynamic. It was as if KENTA had to fight from beneath, but he wasn’t the crowd favorite. As he made his comeback, he was greeted with “Let’s Go Archer” chants. KENTA tried to get Archer up for the Go 2 Sleep but kept failing. Archer was too big. Even when he finally did, Archer was able to slip out. Archer came close to winning a few times before KENTA countered a chokeslam into a triangle and then into the LeBelle Lock for a submission victory in 11:58. Some great back and forth in front of a crowd that added a lot to this. Archer and KENTA are both having great tournaments so far. [***½]
A Block: EVIL [2] vs. SANADA [2] Their only meeting was in the G1 27 and it was in this very building. SANADA won that one (****). There’s an interesting story setup here. EVIL was Tetsuya Naito’s first recruit but SANADA has seemingly surpassed him in the eyes of many. It felt like EVIL came in with something to prove. He put SANADA in his own trademark Paradise Lock and every bit of offense he did seemed to come with a little something extra. There was a clear chip on his shoulder. Other than that, this was worked like most other G1 matches. Some hard strikes, great counter wrestling, and some solid drama down the stretch. It was that added bonus of their history that added to it. SANADA busted out Everything is EVIL, which looked good. Everything SANADA does looks good. EVIL hit an Everything is EVIL of his own to win in 18:11. This was very good and ended up just shy of being great. Smooth exchanges and some solid backstory to make this a match that worked well. [***¾]
The LIJ members fist bumped after the bell.
A Block: Bad Luck Fale [2] vs. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada [4] Fale beat Okada in the New Japan Cup 2015, but Okada evened the score at Invasion Attack. Fale won again in the G1 26 (**¾) and Okada again evened it at Destruction (**). Okada retained the title over Fale at Wrestling Dontaku 17 (***½) and Fale won again in the G1 28 (**¼). These two traditionally have the same match each time out, it just works better on some nights. Execution and such. This wasn’t one of their best. They included all of the shenanigans we’re used to from Fale these days and Okada kind of took the night off. Without Yano in his block, he needs the day off somewhere. I actually really liked the finish. Instead of the Rainmaker, Okada won via rollup like he did against Chris Jericho at Dominion. You need wins like that in a tournament or it gets repetitive and he’s already a hella repetitive wrestler. It went 10:15. [**]
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi [0] vs. RevPro British Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. [0] Sabre’s first G1 win came over Tanahashi in the G1 27 (****¼). Tanahashi retained the IC Title over him later that year at Destruction (***¾). Sabre beat him again in the New Japan Cup Finals last year (****½] but Tana got revenge in the quarterfinals this year (****¼). Sabre then won in a British Heavyweight Title match at the G1 Supercard (****). Lots of history here. Sabre thrives himself on always being in control. He’s done that through two matches, yet sits at 0-2. So once he got outwrestled by Tanahashi on an early exchange, the frustration was all over his face. This was filled with crisp counter wrestling, painful submissions, and flash pins that the fans bought into. Sabre got past his frustration to take control of the arm, but almost nobody is better at fighting from beneath than Tanahashi. With everything looking fire for the “Ace,” he tried High Fly Flow. Sabre caught it into a triangle, but Tanahashi was ready and rolled it over into a cradle to steal the win in 13:56. I love a sub-15 minute match that tells a good story. They’ve met a ton and they learned from it all. However, Sabre is falling victim to flash losses and the calming influence of TAKA Michinoku isn’t there. It’s killing him. Great pro wrestling. [****¼]
A Block: Kota Ibushi [0] vs. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay [2] Ospreay won the NEVER Openweight Title from Ibushi at Wrestle Kingdom (****) earlier this year. I came in optimistic. I consider Will Ospreay to be the most overrated wrestler in the world (that doesn’t mean I think he sucks), but when he’s against a superior wrestler like Ibushi (check his matches with KUSHIDA or Hiromu Takahashi), he can deliver. This was riddled with early clichés like the fast paced standoff and both guys trying for their finishes immediately after the other. What I did like was how it showcased their similarities. Both are crazy athletes who moved up to heavyweight status and have a penchant for putting their bodies on the line. Ibushi’s ankle and Ospreay’s neck are banged up, so both men attacked those body parts. It’s like they wanted to see which insane wrestler could withstand more damage. Ibushi was especially sadistic. He took pleasure in kicking and slapping Ospreay as well as dumping him on his head. When Ospreay hit Hidden Blade, it felt like a big deal since that knocked Ibushi out at WK. Ibushi’s lifeless arm barely getting the ropes to break the pin was a nice touch. From out of nowhere, Ibushi countered Storm Breaker and hit the Kamigoye. I was going to say that should’ve been the finish. But then we got Ibushi avoiding Hidden Blade with a sick elbow and I was okay with it. Boma Ye then should’ve ended it but Ibushi put him down for good with Kamigoye right after at the 27:16 mark. The first great Willy match that exceeds 25 minutes. It nearly killed him, but he did it. I loved the idea that they went after each other’s injury and it led to a reckless match that was at times scary. The best match of the tournament so far. [****½]
Look, I know wrestling is violent and I’m not one to tell these grown athletes how to handle their bodies. The neck bumps Ospreay took added to the match but can’t be good. But I do think that if this is the kind of stuff Ospreay needs to do to have great matches, he’s not going to be wrestling past 30. I love Hiromu Takahashi and his insane style eventually caught up to him. I may not like Will, but I don’t want to see his career end prematurely.
Overall: 9/10. Another great outing for the A Block. The only blemish on the show was a lackluster Fale/Okada match. But everything else ranges from ***½ to ****½. It starts with two very good contests and ends on the highest of notes with two great matches.
A BLOCK | POINTS | B BLOCK | POINTS | KENTA | 6 (3-0) | Tomohiro Ishii | 4 (2-0) | Kazuchika Okada | 6 (3-0) | Jon Moxley | 4 (2-0) | Lance Archer | 4 (2-1) | Juice Robinson | 4 (2-0) | EVIL | 4 (2-1) | Jon Moxley | 2 (1-0) | Kota Ibushi
| 2 (1-1) | Toru Yano | 2 (1-1) | Will Ospreay | 2 (1-2) | Taichi | 2 (1-1) | Hiroshi Tanahashi | 2 (1-2) | Hirooki Goto | 2 (1-1) | SANADA | 2 (1-2) | Tetsuya Naito | 0 (0-2) | Bad Luck Fale | 2 (1-2) | Jay White | 0 (0-2) | Zack Sabre Jr. | 0 (0-3) | Jeff Cobb | 0 (0-2) |
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 18, 2019 18:29:24 GMT -5
I wonder if the fist bump mean that EVIL has overcome his frustrations, or if his problem is with Naito or Shingo.
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Post by IgnahtaSempria on Jul 18, 2019 19:00:13 GMT -5
In regards to Sabre, I'm thinking, somewhere down the line, he's just gonna have a meltdown and just start trying to cripple people. He might even take over Suzuki-gun just by putting Suzuki out of his misery.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 18, 2019 19:08:15 GMT -5
I wonder if the fist bump mean that EVIL has overcome his frustrations, or if his problem is with Naito or Shingo. More so his problem was being the "weak link". He got pinned twice in a row for the tag titles and was feeling frustration towards not getting the job done They always do a good job every year of having at least one member of LIJ feel frustration come the G1 and every member realizes it is every man for their-selves. It is almost forgotten how Naito let EVIL and SANADA fight out their differences a few years ago in who was 2nd best which led to them getting along and eventually winning the tag titles
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Post by AwamoriRock on Jul 18, 2019 20:13:04 GMT -5
I wonder if the fist bump mean that EVIL has overcome his frustrations, or if his problem is with Naito or Shingo. More so his problem was being the "weak link". He got pinned twice in a row for the tag titles and was feeling frustration towards not getting the job done They always do a good job every year of having at least one member of LIJ feel frustration come the G1 and every member realizes it is every man for their-selves. It is almost forgotten how Naito let EVIL and SANADA fight out their differences a few years ago in who was 2nd best which led to them getting along and eventually winning the tag titles It's one of my favorite things about Naito. When he first won the title he was angry about having to defend against Ishii, and they asked him who he would rather defend against and he picked EVIL. In the past couple of G1's they ask for his opinion on the block and he gets upset that he isn't paired with Sanada or EVIL. He really wants to pump them up and that's why him vs. Shingo in Osaka is gonna be really good.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 18, 2019 20:17:02 GMT -5
More so his problem was being the "weak link". He got pinned twice in a row for the tag titles and was feeling frustration towards not getting the job done They always do a good job every year of having at least one member of LIJ feel frustration come the G1 and every member realizes it is every man for their-selves. It is almost forgotten how Naito let EVIL and SANADA fight out their differences a few years ago in who was 2nd best which led to them getting along and eventually winning the tag titles It's one of my favorite things about Naito. When he first won the title he was angry about having to defend against Ishii, and they asked him who he would rather defend against and he picked EVIL. In the past couple of G1's they ask for his opinion on the block and he gets upset that he isn't paired with Sanada or EVIL. He really wants to pump them up and that's why him vs. Shingo in Osaka is gonna be really good. Yea, Naito treats his group with a great amount of respect which is why when you hear a new member is getting introduced you get hype because you know in character Naito is picking the absolute best person for the job. In a sense, he wants them to be better than him It is one of the reasons why I believe as I stated earlier if LIJ were to break up I can see Naito basically saying they graduated as opposed to him getting turned on
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Jul 18, 2019 20:21:02 GMT -5
More so his problem was being the "weak link". He got pinned twice in a row for the tag titles and was feeling frustration towards not getting the job done They always do a good job every year of having at least one member of LIJ feel frustration come the G1 and every member realizes it is every man for their-selves. It is almost forgotten how Naito let EVIL and SANADA fight out their differences a few years ago in who was 2nd best which led to them getting along and eventually winning the tag titles It's one of my favorite things about Naito. When he first won the title he was angry about having to defend against Ishii, and they asked him who he would rather defend against and he picked EVIL. In the past couple of G1's they ask for his opinion on the block and he gets upset that he isn't paired with Sanada or EVIL. He really wants to pump them up and that's why him vs. Shingo in Osaka is gonna be really good. Yeah, this will be a really fun test to see exactly where Shingo is when it comes to LIJ. I want to see if he's really got his heart in it, or if he's just a replacement for Takahashi after all.
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Post by AwamoriRock on Jul 18, 2019 20:23:09 GMT -5
It's one of my favorite things about Naito. When he first won the title he was angry about having to defend against Ishii, and they asked him who he would rather defend against and he picked EVIL. In the past couple of G1's they ask for his opinion on the block and he gets upset that he isn't paired with Sanada or EVIL. He really wants to pump them up and that's why him vs. Shingo in Osaka is gonna be really good. Yea, Naito treats his group with a great amount of respect which is why when you hear a new member is getting introduced you get hype because you know in character Naito is picking the absolute best person for the job. In a sense, he wants them to be better than him It is one of the reasons why I believe as I stated earlier if LIJ were to break up I can see Naito basically saying they graduated as opposed to him getting turned on I think the eventual breakup will be Shingo, Sanada, and Bushi, leaving Naito with EVIL and Hiromu. The dream scenario is Shingo turning on Naito, beating the hell out of him, and Hiromu returning to make the save lol
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 18, 2019 20:25:57 GMT -5
Yea, Naito treats his group with a great amount of respect which is why when you hear a new member is getting introduced you get hype because you know in character Naito is picking the absolute best person for the job. In a sense, he wants them to be better than him It is one of the reasons why I believe as I stated earlier if LIJ were to break up I can see Naito basically saying they graduated as opposed to him getting turned on I think the eventual breakup will be Shingo, Sanada, and Bushi, leaving Naito with EVIL and Hiromu. The dream scenario is Shingo turning on Naito, beating the hell out of him, and Hiromu returning to make the save lol I think more so I like Naito just saying they all can leave but Hiromu comes back like i'm not leaving and Naito just shrugs and says f*** it lol Get a new group with Naito/Hiromu finding new members for LIJ while Shingo, Bushi, Sanada and Evil all go about their own business
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Post by AwamoriRock on Jul 18, 2019 20:38:22 GMT -5
I think the eventual breakup will be Shingo, Sanada, and Bushi, leaving Naito with EVIL and Hiromu. The dream scenario is Shingo turning on Naito, beating the hell out of him, and Hiromu returning to make the save lol I think more so I like Naito just saying they all can leave but Hiromu comes back like i'm not leaving and Naito just shrugs and says f*** it lol Get a new group with Naito/Hiromu finding new members for LIJ while Shingo, Bushi, Sanada and Evil all go about their own business Yeah not to harp on about it or get sentimental, but Hiromu's quote makes me think he and Naito can never be at odds lol. "Even now I won't forget this. When I was a trainee, no matter what I did, everything was crap and I just couldn't perform at the required level. It pissed me off every single day and it continued for a while. Then one day, in the dojo, someone said to me "If it's okay with you, I'm gonna teach you to wrestle." If those words hadn't been said, I would never have debuted. And who was that person, who put his time and faith in me and said those words? Naito."
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