Jordan’s NJPW G1 Climax 2017 Day 8 Review

1. NJPW G1 Climax 2017 Day 8 Review

Shota Umino and Ren Narita vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and El Desperado

My Thoughts: This was mainly just Sabre and Desperado destroying and bullying the young lions as expected, but it was still mildly entertaining. It didn’t create for a great opener or anything, but it was a decent match that was total inoffensive and actually slightly entertaining at points. This was a fine opening match.

Rating: **1/4

Yuji Nagata and Hirai Kawato vs. Togi Makabe and Ryusuke Taguchi

My Thoughts: This was a perfectly fine match, everyone put in a solid effort. Kawato was once again a fun underdog. Makabe and Nagata went at it to hype up their match on Day 9. Kawato even fought through the Oh My and Garfunkel Ankle Lock before finally having no choice but to tap out. Solid outing overall, though nothing must-see.

Rating: **3/4

Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi, and Chase Owens vs. Kota Ibushi, Katsuya Kitamura, and Tomoyuki Oka

My Thoughts: This was a rather solid match overall, I enjoy Chase Owens a lot and Oka and Kitamura are two of my top young lions right now so as you can imagine I did enjoy this just for them for the most part. We didn’t get much Ibushi which is fine because you don’t wanna overwork these guys too much. There was a fucked up jawbreaker-neckbreaker spot at one point between Owens and Oka but they recovered quickly and had a pretty good closing stretch.

Rating: **3/4

Tetsuya Naito and BUSHI vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Gedo

My Thoughts: I was happy to see Gedo walk out that curtain rather than Jado. Gedo is much more tolerable than Jado is. This was an overall fine match with absolutely nothing memorable but nothing awful. Naito and BUSHI working over the beard of Gedo was goofy and I liked it. This was mainly BUSHI and Gedo with Naito putting in a good amount and Ishii not putting in too much. This was a solid effort overall.

Rating: **1/2

YOSHI-HASHI and Hirooki Goto vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and David Finlay

My Thoughts: This was a pretty good match overall with each man putting in a nice effort. This didn’t feel all that long but they managed to still put on a good match as a whole in that time. I’m actually very much looking forward to YOSH-HASHI vs. Tanahashi. That match really intrigues me.

Rating: ***

Tama Tonga vs. Juice Robinson in a B Block G1 Climax Tournament Match

My Thoughts: This started out as a fine match but kicked into a very entertaining one! Tama and Juice worked a really fun second half with lots of fantastic finisher teasing and some very good near falls that even had me fooled. Juice Robinson continues to be a standout star in this years G1 and kudos to Tama Tonga for putting in a better effort than usual today. Great way to get the day started.

Rating: ***1/4

SANADA vs. Toru Yano in a B Block G1 Climax Tournament Match

My Thoughts: This is the best fucking Yano match I think I’ve ever seen, but that’s not saying too much. While this was “Same Old Shit” Toru Yano, SANADA put in a masterful performance, looked really strong and also really smart. He barely falled for any of Yano’s tricks (I especially loved him chucking the tape into the crowd), kicked out of his pins, and in the end had a really smart way of winning the match. This was rather fun and while not long or great, I enjoyed it.

Rating: **1/2

EVIL vs. Minoru Suzuki in a B Block G1 Climax Tournament Match

My Thoughts: This was a ridiculous amount of bullshit as expected. I like Suzuki himself a lot but his matches are getting old because it’s always so much interference and ref bumps and weapon use. This was mildly entertaining during the interference segment but it just internally frustrated me. This was an OK match overall as it was very hurt by the bullshit. I was really happy to see EVIL get the win so that was great.

Rating: **1/2

Satoshi Kojima vs. Kazuchika Okada in a B Block G1 Climax Tournament Match

My Thoughts: This was a great match with an extremely invested crowd. Okada was playing the douchebag heel role because face it, if you’re wrestling one of the dads you’re going to get booed. They worked a masterful closing stretch especially with some fantastic false finishes and teases. Kojima still puts in incredible work for his age and Okada is the best in the world. Real great match here.

Rating: ****1/4

Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega in a B Block G1 Climax Tournament Match

My Thoughts: This was an absolutely incredible match that had a natural build, some awesome spots, and legit great near falls. I liked the callback to the german suplex on the apron spot from their last match a lot and that apron powerbomb was brutal. I thought this match was very consistent as well which I really appreciated. Both men continued to sell stuff throughout the entire match and even tried to fight through at times but couldn’t. The finish was unexpected for me as I didn’t expect Mike to win with the Burning Hammer. These two have such great chemistry and I love watching them wrestle each other. Michael Elgin has now had the two best matches in this years G1 in my eyes.

Rating: ****3/4

Overall Thoughts: This was an overall solid night of G1. The undercard was below average but still fine, but there were two really great tournament matches on this card too. Unfortunately we didn’t get those matches until the end of the night so the 3/4th’s of the show was just decent stuff.

Overall Rating: 7/10