Night 15 of the G1 Climax took place earlier this morning in Shizuoka. Kazuchika Okada and EVIL continued their rivalry from last year in the main event.
Prelim results:
– Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Toru Yano, Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura
Kanemaru submitted Uemura with a Boston crab.
– Hirooki Goto YOSHI-HASHI and defeated Jon Moxley and Shota Umino
YH submitted Umino with the Butterfly lock.
– Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Juice Robinson, Tomoaki Honma and Toa Henare
Owens defeated Henare with the package piledriver.
– Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Jeff Cobb and Ren Narita
BUSHI pinned Narita with the MX.
A Block: SANADA defeated Lance Archer
Real good. Archer’s streak of great matches continues and was in fine company with SANADA, who looked real good as well.
Archer jumped SANADA as he was coming down the aisle and threw him around the outside of the ring, including taking SANADA down with a running spear off the apron. After Archer worked on him back in the ring, SANADA mounted a comeback by dropkicking Archer in his knee, then launched off with a pescado to the floor.
SANADA backflipped out of a chokeslam attempt but Archer laid out SANADA with a DDT for a nearfall. Big time chokeslam followed. Archer went for a moonsault, but missed. SANADA countered with one of his own, but Archer got up the knees and rolled up him for a 2.99 count.
Archer went for Blackout but SANADA escaped twice and after some back and forth rolled up Archer and bridged him for the flash pin.
A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Bad Luck Fale.
It was a match, not much to say. Not really bad, but short and had a flat finish.
Tanahashi immediately began working on Fale’s leg. Jado immediately used the kendo stick to get heat. Chase Owens beat him up as Fale came in and started working on Tanahashi’s own leg. Tanahashi eventually cut him off and tried to work on Fale’s leg, taking him down with a dragon screw.
Tanahashi locked Fale down with a figure four leglock, but Fale reversed it. Fale grabbed Tanahashi once they were back up for the grenade, but Tanahashi escaped. After Fale sat on him for a nearfall, Tanahashi mounted a comeback, hit a high fly flow, but Jado broke up another attempt. Fale splashed him in the corner, hit the grenade, but Tanahashi kicked out.
Fale went for the Bad Luck Fall, but Tanahashi fought back. Fale instead took him down for a backslide and got the win.
A Block: Will Ospreay defeated KENTA
This was real good, to the point where this would have been excellent if it had gone for a few more minutes. Real nice match either way with some great heat.
They exchanged blows right at the bell. It’s KENTA who gets the advantage and whips him around the barricades. He works on Ospreay back in the ring, pelting him with kicks. Ospreay reverses into a stunner.
KENTA was taken to the outside as Ospreay went for a springboard but KENTA grabbed him and landed a Falcon Arrow on the apron After some nearfalls, both fight one another as they get up. KENTA went for a discus lariat, but the two transition counters until KENTA latches on to a sleeper. KENTA went for a penalty kick, but Ospreay dodged and hit a powerbomb.
Ospreay went for a shooting star press, but KENTA got his knees up and transitioned into the Game Over. KENTA hit the running knee next, then motioned for the GTS. Ospreay countered with a cradle then hit the Oscutter.
Ospreay hit the elbow to the back of the head, then went for stormbreaker and connected for the win.
A Block: Kota Ibushi defeated Zack Sabre Jr.
This wasn’t as good as their previous encounters, but like other matches on this show ended up being a good little match.
Things started off tepidly, with the two exchanging some mat wrestling. Sabre had the better of it until Ibushi cut him off with a hurricanrana. Sabre grabbed one of the legs he was working on earlier, however, and wraps it around the ropes.
Sabre grounded Ibushi and worked him over with various submissions, including a crossface and a leglock. Ibushi got up on his feet and rocked Sabre with a giant lariat, then soon followed that with a half full nelson suplex.
After a last ride powerbomb, Ibushi went for the kamigoye but Sabre took him down with another submission attempt. Ibushi quickly escaped. Ibushi took him down with a palm strike, but missed a boma ye. Sabre countered with a number of rollups, all of which failed. Ibushi connected with the boma ye then hit the kamigoye for the win.
A Block: Kazuchika Okada defeated EVIL
A classic, awesome main event. EVIL is really good when against a really good opponent and Kazuchika Okada is one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now. This was the only match on the card that felt like a genuinely excellent match (though mostly everything was really good), capping off the night on a strong note.
After a feeling out process, Okada took EVIL out of the ring and sure enough, a barricade spot. EVIL blocked it, however, and threw Okada over the barricade and to the outside. EVIL took Okada back into the ring
Eventually, Okada started to mount his comeback and took EVIL out with a pescado to the outside. Back in the ring, Okada went for an elbow, but EVIL ducked, stomped him on the ground through the middle rope. He managed to cut off EVIL but EVIL kept blocking it until Okada finally connected.
Okada took EVIL to the top rope and dropkicked him to the floor. Okada goes after him, but EVIL threw a chair that connected right into Okada’s face. EVIL followed with his neck/chair spot. EVIL took him back to the ring and landed a big superplex.
The two started to exchange forearms as the twenty minute mark approached. EVIL got the better of it and went for Darkness Falls. Okada escaped and after some wrangling nailed the tombstone. EVIL dodged the rainmaker as both teased hitting each others finishers. EVIL nailed a big lariat instead.
EVIL landed the Darkness Falls, but only gets a two count. Okada fires back and connects with the rainmaker. He goes for another but EVIL counters with two German suplexes. Okada cut him off and went for the rainmaker, but EVIL countered back with the Everything is EVIL. Okada countered and went for a rainmaker but EVIL headbutted Okada and gave him a big lariat.
EVIL grabbed Okada as he got up but Okada fired back with a short arm lariat and a shotgun dropkick. Okada hit a discus clothesline then connected with the rainmaker for the win.
This makes the A block crystal clear: the winner of the Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada match on 8/10 will win the block and advance to the finals.
Okada finished the night with his usual promo.
G1 STANDINGS
A BLOCK
Kazuchika Okada 12
Kota Ibushi 12
EVIL 8 (eliminated)
KENTA 8 (eliminated)
Hiroshi Tanahashi 8 (eliminated)
SANADA 8 (eliminated)
Zack Sabre Jr. 6 (eliminated)
Will Ospreay 6 (eliminated)
Bad Luck Fale 6 (eliminated)
Lance Archer 4 (eliminated)
B BLOCK
Jon Moxley 10
Jay White 8
Tomohiro Ishii 8
Hirooki Goto 8
Tetsuya Naito 8
Juice Robinson 6
Toru Yano 6
Jeff Cobb 6
Taichi 6 (eliminated)
Shingo Takagi 4 (eliminated)