Jul 18, 2019 22:44:58 GMT nazzer said:

Zsj needs to win a bit more, I don't know who I think he should win against, but he needs to back up his douchebaggyness. His mid match and post match hissyfits are too much, I love it.

ZSJ has every right to be smug. He has a very strong singles record. Beaten Tanahashi a bunch of times. Won the New Japan Cup last year, beating SANADA, Tanahashi, and Naito in the process. He's having a rough time this year.

Speaking of which, I thought ZSJ vs Tanahashi was phenomenal. Tanahashi chose a brave strategy to wrestle Zack's game. He matched him on the mat, then sneaked in a couple of rollups which led directly to a Twist and Shout, tweaking Zack's neck which was hurt from his match against Okada. Tanahashi would continue to wrestle cautiously, picking his spots and hitting the big moves at the right moments. As far as I can remember ZSJ had Tanahashi in a dangerous hold only once in the entire match. Although Tanahashi wasn't able to hit High Fly Flow, he caught ZSJ with a lovely rollup just like SANADA did in the first round.

Okada vs Fale was a dud. Not sure why Fale cheats so much more against Okada than he does against anyone else. Guess they gotta make Okada look super strong or something.

Ibushi vs Ospreay was great. Loved the slower pace of the match when compared to the Wrestle Kingdom bout. Both guys are hurt and focused on each other's injuries. Didn't really like Ibushi's selling in this match, a couple of moments looked really off to me. But in general, it was a compelling back and forth fight with some nice sequences. One of the better G1 matches of this year for sure.

Even if he loses the rest of his matches, Ishii is my MVP of the tournament and it isn’t even close right now. His match with Moxley was amazing. Ishii is killing it this year.

Watched a few more matches.

KENTA/Tanahashi was really good fun. It's really bizarre Kenta being important again and is actually taking some getting used to - but this was a much better showcase than the Ibushi match. They're really showcasing him here and this continued it. Was a weird one to predict because you wanted Kenta to keep winning but Tanahashi going 0-2 felt strange, and yet that's what happened. I thought this was very good without going to a top level - which is probably right for this stage of the competition. It felt strangely personal, like Tanahshi was taking his role as 'ace' of New Japan very seriously and wasn't very pleased at Kenta being there - but Kenta just kept to his game plan, stayed focus, and when the opportunity arose hit the moves he needed to take Tanahashi out. ****1/4

KENTA/Archer was also good fun. Archer looks ridiculous but already I bought into him more than I did the Ospreay match because they're obviously pushing him a bit and the crowd were really behind him. Was a nice show case for him while still making Kenta look impressive and winning in a different way. ***1/2

Hoping to watch ZSJ/Tanahashi and Ospreay/Ibushi tomorrow morning if I can.

Still playing catch up after a couple busy days at work and a long travel day yesterday. Not going to bother reviewing every match because we’re getting into the middle of the G1 where nothing special ever happens.

-surprised Okada beat Fale, which is weird to say. Okada beats his G1 kryptonite on his way to trying for a perfect score.

-Ospreay/Ibushi was good but Ibushi never selling his ankle/leg was annoying. Ospreay worked a way better match and deserved to win, so I was a bit deflated when he lost.

-also surprised EVIL beat SANADA. After a mini push in the NJ Cup I’ll be interested to see where SANADA finishes this tournament. The crowd seems to really love him.

Watching Takagi vs Taichi right now and it’s surprisingly good so far.

Juice’s new Gay Undertaker entrance attire is awesome.

Skipping Ishii/Moxley because I already watched it.

Can’t wait to see Ospreay vs Okada. Champ vs Champ. Let’s go baby.

I actually liked Naito/Goto. Pretty paint by numbers but they kicked the poop out of each other and it was fun to watch. Serious Naito is back, and it showed in the tag match the following night when he squared off with Ishii. That’s going to be a good fight.

ZSJ beating Fale by countout. That was great.

KENTA vs EVIL was pretty great but it went on too long. I wasn’t buying EVIL as the monster threat they were trying to make him out to be. It was like just counting down the minutes until KENTA pinned him. Should have ended the match at the 2nd Busaiku Knee but whatever. I liked them trying to out-dickhead each other until it turned into a brawl. But once KENTA got EVIL back in the ring the match was over from there.

Tanahashi vs Archer was really good. Tanahashi sold everything Archer threw at him like murder and made him look awesome. Glad Tanahashi won though. Good finish with the smart pin.

Managed to watch Friday's show on the train to London. Good times.

Takagi/Taichi, Robinson/Cobb and Naito/Goto were all competitive, strong style affairs. Nothing outstanding but nothing bad either. The Goto that lost to Naito did not seem like the same Goto who beat Jay White.

White vs Yano was fantastic. A perfect example of a Yano comedy match. Awesome finish, and well worth checking out the backstage interview with Jay White.

Moxley vs Ishii was a real slobberknocker. I don't know if it was more entertaining than any of the previous matches, but it was certainly more memorable. That snap Death Rider is an awesome setup move.

Me watching Ibushi/SANADA: “I think I’m burnt out. I should be liking this match more than I am.”

Me watching Ospreay/Okada: “never mind this is awesome.”

Great match. Actually thought Ospreay was going to pull it off for a second there. But I knew after KENTA won that Okada wasn’t going to face him not also being undefeated. Ospreay made me a believer though.

So who wants to bet that KENTA and Okada draw, then both remain undefeated? Final day for their block, KENTA beats ZSJ and the pressure is on Okada to beat Ibushi in the main event to stay alive.

I’m going on a road trip next weekend so I won’t be able to watch any matches until I get back. Will hopefully avoid spoilers until I can watch the matches I want to see, specifically Okada/KENTA.

Block B is still anyone’s game. The next couple matches are going to decide a lot. Even though White is still winless I could see him bouncing back and joining Naito in the Jon Moxley chase.

The moxley ishii match was so good. In wwe they tried to pretend Ambrose was intense, but now moxley actually feels intense for real. His post match promo almost felt like a shoot


In today's matches I once again really enjoyed the lance archer match. Him and Takahashi really put out a nice contrast of styles and everything made sense. I didn't really 'get' Takahashi for awhile, but I've bought into him.

The Kenta vs evil match felt so flat. After they did the suplex onto the chairs spot the crowd almost no sold kenta, it almost feels like Roman reigns in a wwe show pre dancer diagnosis. Also, everyatcu kenta has I'm enjoying him less and less. This does not feel like kenta vs marafugi or jun or danielson.

I should have waited to watch ospreay vs okada. I could tell it was a good match, but watching it while working overnight shift sometimes doesn't work.

Reading these results, man. Each year this happens (and a lesser extent Super Juniors but that one doesn't ever get much press) makes me really wish WWE/other companies could pull something like this off. Then again the fact that they don't gives it an edge and makes it their signature. Like Wendy's and their chilli...

Jul 20, 2019 19:05:34 GMT RT said:

So who wants to bet that KENTA and Okada draw, then both remain undefeated? Final day for their block, KENTA beats ZSJ and the pressure is on Okada to beat Ibushi in the main event to stay alive.

Never considered Okada and KENTA drawing, but despite how strong KENTA is being pushed I still don't think he's going to be one of the main contenders for the finals, maybe an outside chance. I don't see Okada making the finals either, just because the champ never does. Ibushi beats Okada in the final round to make the final, which means ZSJ has to beat KENTA or something. I dunno. What I do know is that KENTA vs Okada has huge stakes. The best in the company vs the undefeated outsider.

ZSJ vs Fale - Although it was short, I like the way they worked the match. Finish was dumb though. They brawl on the outside for five minutes, ref only starts counting when ZSJ has the advantage. Maybe the ref is fucking over Fale for years of Bullet Club bullshit? :lol:

Archer vs Tanahashi - Would have been better had it not felt like a rehash of some of Tanahashi's previous G1 matches (particularly against Fale) where he is overwhelmed by a stronger opponent and gets a sneaky rollup victory. But that finish actually got me thinking about how the top guys never lose to rollups (except against Yano), while the not-so-top guys get caught out every once on a while. It's an interesting little tidbit that sets the elite apart from the rest. Archer's getting crazy over though. Good for him. He deserves it. Shame he looked like a bit of a goof in the way he lost his last two matchs.

EVIL vs KENTA - KENTA is getting better and better. He and EVIL had pretty good chemistry, and KENTA is generally looking faster and more confident. His Busaiku knees have been pretty bad up until this point, but the first one he hit on EVIL was awesome, and the second one was also very good.

I'm very intrigued by the crowd's reaction to KENTA. He's getting booed against everyone. I can understand why. Here's a guy who is unknown to many fans, and to older fans is a top dude from a former rival company (NOAH) who's apparently here to stay. Not a good start. This unknown/rival guy beats fan favourite Ibushi rather easily, where KENTA is pretty slow and it normally takes a lot more to beat Ibushi. Then he beats super fan favourite Tanahashi. Furthermore, he's being a prick in his matches, because that's how he wrestles. I reckon his handshake offer to Tanahashi was seen as a dick move in the eyes of the fans as well. Now he's embracing the hate, which is the right thing to do. He's getting better in the ring match after match, so I'm optimistic. But next match, he's facing the best, so he needs to be at the top of his game.

Ibushi vs SANADA - These two always have a showcase match with each other, and it's always quite fun to watch. What interests me more is the bromance developing between these two. In the backstage interviews they both praise each other as being awesome wrestlers, and they both talked about how fun it was to wrestle one another. Ibushi keeps dropping hints that SANADA doesn't fit in LIJ.

Okada vs Ospreay - By far the best match of the tournament so far. To put it into perspective, the best matches for me have been in the **** range. This was easily ****1/2, probably more. I've not been overly impressed by their previous matches, but on that night everything clicked. The psychology was great, every transition spot was awesome, the finishing stretch was super hot. I genuinely thought Ospreay had the match won on several occasions. Okada really had to dig deep and pull out the very best Okada who had those wars with Kenny Omega. Okada proved too strong for Ospreay, but Ospreay proved himself as a serious contender.

Ospreay's post-match interview is awesome. Love that we get to see guys react to losses right after they happen.

After our mini break in the calendar it looks like we're pretty much non stop to the finish.

I think tonight yano's streak ends, juice is gonna get him. The ishii vs naito anr moxley vs shingo should he great, and I feel like Cobb vs white is a sleeper. Seems like cob hasn't really stepped up yet, not quite shining the way he has in Roh.

Yano vs Juice was yet another extra fun Toru Yano match.

Goto vs Taichi - I liked the start of the match with Taichi beating up the LA Dojo guys and invoking Goto's wrath, but the momentum was lost and it soon become a fairly routine match. Not bad, but nothing to write home about.

Moxley vs Takagi - I may have to eat my words about Moxley being exposed in a normal match when he faced Cobb. This was a fantastic match which elevated both men. Honestly I think this is the strongest Takagi has looked, despite him winning almost all of his NJPW matches up to this point. His legs got brutalised and even on bum legs (sold fantastically) he kept up with Moxley for a surprisingly long time and showed huge heart. He may have lost, but Shingo looked stronger in defeat than he did in most of his BoSJ wins when he was just overpowering and outlasting the competition. Also credit to Moxley for some excellent limb work offense, and a nice mixture of brawling, technical work and strong style.

Cobb vs White - Slightly disappointing. White is relying too much on Gedo. Seeing the same old distractions every match is getting old, and White having to rely on Gedo so much is really hurting his credibility. It's a shame because White has proven himself capable of having great matches with little to no reliance on cheating. I can understand him wanting to pace himself in the G1, but his act is getting a bit old hat.

Naito vs Ishii - A perfectly good NJPW epic main event, but these two have wrestled a lot over the years and nothing stood out about this match to me. If this is your first Naito vs Ishii match, then you're going to have a great time, for me it was merely adequate.

Jul 21, 2019 9:03:19 GMT nazzer said:

The moxley ishii match was so good. In wwe they tried to pretend Ambrose was intense, but now moxley actually feels intense for real. His post match promo almost felt like a shoot

Yeah that is the Moxley that hardcore fans loved.  He was not the best hardcore guy because did not like the super extreme stuff but he was so fucking intense he could throw punches and brawl and fans would not notice the lack of weapons being used.

Slowly catching up here.  Ishii put over Mox so hard it was crazy.  It was the most fired up I ever seen Ishii and he took a beating for Mox.  Some of those hits Mox gave him were stiff was hell and he sold like crazy for him.  Never seen Ishii shine someone before and holy shit is he one of the best I ever seen do it.  Also looked like he worked him really safe given I seen him go a lot harder and lot wilder.  Have a new level of respect for Ishii now.

Need to find time to check out a lot of these other matches.

Day 8 was maybe one of my least favourite days so far. Was'nt terrible, but wasn't very memoroable. I enjoyed Moxley/Takagi as it showed Moxley being able to do a different style, was starting to worry he was only going to be a one trick pony in njpw. The naito/ishii main event was fine. But the whole night seemed meh.

I"m really looking forward to the archer / ibushi match on day 9

So Day 9 an 10 were pretty good.

Archer vs Ibushi was as good as I would expect. Archer continues to look great in the tournament.

ZSJ's post match tantrum this time included blaming Boris JOhnson (new UK prime minister) for his bad tournament for distracitng him.

Again, I feel like I"m supposed to be impressed by KENTA, but he just feels like he's going through the motions and doesn't belong. Like he's nostalgia, having him on the same card as guys like Ospreay and Ibushi makes him look like a generation ago. Also, I feel like past their prime junior heavyweights that have muffin tops starting to show have less of s shelf like than past their prime heavyweights. Moxley came into the tournament havingh clearly put in the work to be in great shape, and KENTA looks like an out of shape forty year old computer nerd.

SPeaking of Moxley. I often skip the tag matches in new japan, but I find myself watching him and Shota. The way that he is involving Shota is really amusing, from his post match interviews, to his entrances. And damn, every match this tournamant from Moxley has been great. His match on day 10 with Naito was so filled with personal taunts, very good stuff.

Ishii is so awesome. Him vs Juice was so fast and hard hitting, great stuff.

Quick rundown of the past two shows.

Day 9
Ibushi vs Archer was a very good hard hitting affair. Loved the finish. Archer looks like a beast in defeat.

Ospreay vs Fale had a hilarious finish. Worth watching for that alone.

EVIL vs ZSJ was excellent. Another top tier ZSJ match. Dude can have a great match with almost anyone.

Tanahashi vs SANADA was disappointing. It felt like that Kurt Angle vs Del Rio match from a few years ago, two guys just going through the motions and doing the greatest hits. A bit of drama near the end, but the match never really had my interest.

Okada vs KENTA was pretty good. It felt like one of those routine Okada title defenses where he's defending against a guy who is clearly not going to win. Figured it would take something special to put down KENTA, but not really. It didn't feel as special as it should have been.

Day 10
Goto vs Yano - Not the best Yano match of the tournament, but good fun and an easy night for Goto.

Juice vs Ishii - A typical high quality, hard hitting Ishii match. An above average Juice match but a below average Ishii match.

Cobb vs Taichi - Nothing special.

Takagi vs White - Strong performance from both guys. I'm glad there wasn't so much Gedo interference. White hit his entire repertoire on Takagi and even threw a rare moove or two in there. Takagi again looks strong in defeat.

Naito vs Moxley - Loved Naito doing his entrance as slow as possible to fuck with Moxley. I just wish Moxley would have reacted a bit more outwardly to get it over even more. However once the match started, it was disappointing. Both guys would just stop selling for no obvious reason and take control. They were miscoordinated and fumbled a bunch of spots. It also felt like Moxley beat Naito way too easily. Maybe they were going for the whole "Naito does badly against wildmen" story like they did when he first faced Jericho, but it wasn't executed very well.

I watched Okada vs Archer live this morning. I really enjoy Archer, but this match made me think Okada how sometimes Okada's matches feel like Cena matches, and not in a good way.

The Jeff Cobb/Tomohiro Ishii match on night 2 was insane. I thought the match would end on KO stoppage. I needed a glass of chocolate milk after that.

Can I just say that Ibushi adopting the Bomaye as a signature move is one of my new favourite things?

Still playing catch up since I was offline since Wednesday. Ibushi/Archer just finished and I'm watching Ospreay/Fale now. What a great fucking match. They're doing for Lance Archer what they did for Michael Elgin a few years back that made me love him, until he turned out to be a massive dickhead. Hopefully that doesn't happen with Archer, because he'll be an amazing big man going forward. Incredible tournament for him even if he doesn't get a ton of points.

Anytime Red Shoes tells someone to fuck off is automatically a 5 star match, imo. Great finish to Ospreay/Fale.

Tanahashi/SANADA was bad. I had high hopes and they didn't even halfway live up to them. SANADA isn't the same wrestler that was in the NJCup finals.

If you told me that EVIL would finish better than SANADA in this tournament I would have laughed in your face.

ZSJ can't buy a win. What the hell. I'm sad for him.

...

Okada vs. KENTA was everything I hoped for, and I loved this match. But I'm even more looking forward to their next match, because it's going to be MOTY and nothing will even come close.

When they traded shots in the centre of the ring after the 25 minute mark and KENTA blocked an elbow with a palm strike that sent Okada back in time, I stood up and had to collect myself. That was amazing. Everything about this was amazing.

Jul 29, 2019 17:38:17 GMT Emperor said:

Okada vs KENTA was pretty good. It felt like one of those routine Okada title defenses where he's defending against a guy who is clearly not going to win. Figured it would take something special to put down KENTA, but not really. It didn't feel as special as it should have been.

Gotta disagree. I think this match was perfect because I think this sets the stage for match #2. This was Act 1, and it was perfect.

KENTA was undefeated and cocky as he's ever been. The opening act of this match was all KENTA, and he acted like he knew he was going to win. But he was the only person in the building that thought that. As soon as Okada started mounting some offense, it was like the crowd just said "Yeah, you fucked up bud." It was over from there, because everyone but KENTA knew what was coming. Okada wasn't going down no matter what and KENTA didn't know that.

Even when KENTA got his serious pants on and threw everything he had at Okada, it was already too late and he was never going to win. And I loved that. And now my prediction is this: Okada wins it all and selects KENTA as his opponent for Wrestle Kingdom. KENTA will finish the block having Okada as his only loss, and match #2 will see a more intense, more focused, more powerful KENTA...and he's going to win.

Question for ert and surrender and others who are enjoying KENTA in this tournament.

Did you watch kenta when he was in Noah at the top of the card and did you watch him in roh? How do you feel he compares to then. Perhaps the problem is me that I am expecting him to be similar to the kenta I remember and can't embrace the current kenta.

So yeah, did you watch him then and what do you think in comparison to then

Jul 31, 2019 2:12:52 GMT nazzer said:

Question for ert and surrender and others who are enjoying KENTA in this tournament.

Did you watch kenta when he was in Noah at the top of the card and did you watch him in roh? How do you feel he compares to then. Perhaps the problem is me that I am expecting him to be similar to the kenta I remember and can't embrace the current kenta.

So yeah, did you watch him then and what do you think in comparison to then

I haven’t seen a lot of KENTA in NOAH but I watched him a fair amount in ROH. my thoughts are this:

My hype for him in NXT was through the roof and I was upset when he didn’t quite live up to expectations. He had a few decent matches but that was it.

He was then incredibly misused on the WWE roster and it was sad to see. It’s almost a blessing he got hurt as often as he did because he would have been embarrassing to watch.

When he returned to Japan and showed up at NJPW I got chills. Especially with him walking out with Shibata. That was historic.

He had a good “welcome back to actual wrestling” match with Ibushi but fell off and basically started slow in the G1, which I was ok with. I was a bit worried his age and injuries had caught up with him and was worried this was a “5 years too late/he wasted his time in North America” thing.

But then his match with Okada happened and I’m one thousand percent on board, and incredibly happy with this run. I hope he stays in NJPW until he retires and has more incredible matches. He looked his old self in that match and I think he only improves from here.

Goto vs Yano I skipped. I love Yano but all his matches are generally the same and at this point in the G1, my time is precious. Glad Goto got 2 points.

Juice/Ishii - I still think Juice/Takagi was better but this was damn close. Ishii is still my MVP of the tournament, but Mox is quickly catching up.

Cobb/Taichi - I told myself I should skip this match and I should have listened.

White/Takagi - Eh. I kind of wish Takagi won and White fell into a downward spiral of self-deprecation, but whatever.

Naito/Moxley - I'm shocked Moxley won. I thought Naito would out-work him and finally get a big win, and show the world that Moxley wasn't invincible. That's a crazy outocme for me.

Loved the corner dropkick spot with Moxley blocking and Naito waiting for him to move his arms. Loved the absolute disrespect that these two showed one another. Loved the post-match presser with SHOOTER giving the middle fingers and then saying "thank you." :lol: all gold. Great fight. Just shocked Naito lost.

This has been a crazy tournament.

Decided to watch the Juice/Henare/whoever it was vs Los Ignorables tag match. Was pretty good. Henare has been working his ass off in these tag matches and winning me over as a potential good mid-carder. I hope someone recognizes that.

Fale/Ibushi was a waste of time. I love Fale as a big man but this match was boring. These two don't work well together.

ZSJ/Ospreay was hype for me. Top two British wrestlers in the world squaring off. Ospreay needs points and ZSJ needs to save face.

Ospreay playing the "catch me if you can" role and ZSJ playing the "I'm going to break you in half first chance I get" role. Great exhibition of what makes ZSJ so deadly; working joints and incapacitating his opponents. Great showcase of why ZSJ should always be considered a threat. Your flips and strikes don't matter when I have wrist control, bitch.

The exchange late in the match that started with a palm strike from ZSJ to a hook kick from Ospreay was one of the best I've seen this year.

I can't fucking believe ZSJ won. I would have bet money on Ospreay ten times out of ten. That was fucking amazing. All the exchanges were dope, ZSJ had an answer for everything, and the finish was perfect. I'm calling it now: most underrated match of the tournament when this is all said and done.

Archer needs a better entrance. Love him going after Okada right away though. Love him coming out guns blazing after a loss, and knowing he's facing the new Ace. Archer gave nothing away and Okada had to bust out his best strikes to finally get some momentum. The best of the best making Archer look like a goddamn machine. Hope he takes them all out for some Ribera and whiskey when this is all over.

....


SANADA beat KENTA. I'm beside myself.

Gedo always gets the last laugh. I don't even know what to say.

Welp...

...

I don't know why EVIL/Tanahashi was the main event. I guess because Tanahashi. But still...this was the 3rd best match on the card and it main evented. Whatever.

The biggest change is you can see KENTA now looking for the cameras before he does moves to make sure he gets the best angle on them. Seen him do it a lot since his return to NJPW.

He also is more cautious, but it is hard to say if that is WWE or NJPW itself that changed as Shibata injury had a lot of people stepping back from working as hard. KENTA was a lot more stiff pre-NXT. Then a lot of guys he worked with started to show serious wear and tear so I am glad he is scaling back a bit.  It looks like he worked with Regal quite a bit as when he does strike hard, he strikes in the same places Regal would now that Regal said are safe places.  

I could be wrong too, but it looks like Kenta is trying to reserve stuff for big matches too so he has a pool of go to things for when he needs to really shine. NXT promotes this as well, as if guys do not hold some stuff back, to elevate a match they need to do more extreme stuff. But if you hold moves back, then you just hit your rare moves and the match gets a big match feel.

So overall he took what he learned and applied it and now is a more rounded worker than the guy who just hits really hard.  Pretty sure he called the Okada match too.  If so he learned a ton about pacing a match.

Speaking of Okada, how the hell is he not in WWE? He is pound for pound the best worker today and it is crazy WWE is not just offering him money until he cannot refuse. He is super over with Americans already without needing to speak english and the golden boy gimmick sells itself. And yeah I know WWE will misuse him but to me it is crazy they are passing on one of the best wrestlers our generation has seen that seems to be in full health and not really work that dangerous of a style.