G1 Climax 2015 B Block August 15 Report and Reaction

This was the penultimate show in the G1 series, and the last show featuring B Block Tournament matches, or any other tournament matches for that matter save for the finals taking place BRIGHT and EARLY August 16. In fact, the start time is listed as 15:00 (3:00 pm) in Tokyo, adjust to your time zone accordingly. This really felt like a show with an equivalent energy to the previous one. Opening matches, however, were less numerous and featured several wrestlers crammed into multi man tags. Meanwhile, the opening two matches were a quick and fun setup for the Junior Heavyweight tag title match on the next show. Here is a rundown of the action, starting with the undercard.

Undercard

reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) vs Sho Tanaka and Ryohei Komatsu

O’reilly and Komatsu started things off. Komatsu knocked Fish off the ring apron. O’Reilly and Komatsu had a showdown of forearm till Komatsu knocked O’Reilly down with a dropkick. The Young Lions hit a number of double team attacks on each member of reDRagon. Tanaka got O’Reilly in a crab and refused to break the hold even as Fish hit him with forearms. Komatsu then got Fish in the hold and also refused to let go despite O’Reilly’s attempts to break it up. Tanaka then grabbed O’Reilly from behind and hit a big German Suplex.

After landing a few of their double team maneuvers, reDRagon hit Chasing the Dragon on Sho Tanaka to pick up the pinfall victory. 

After the match reDRagon’s opponents on the next show, The Young Bucks rushed the ring and attacked them with their IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship belts. Then, The Bucks’ opponents in the next match, Jay White and David Finlay rushed the ring and attacked the current champions. The referee called for the bell to start the match between them.

The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs Jay White and David Finlay

Finlay and White hit a double drop kick on Nick Jackson to clear the ring. They then mocked the Young Bucks’ muscle-flexing pose. The Bucks took control hitting Finlay with kicks, slaps, and a back rake, and yelling obnoxious taunts.

The Bucks each hollered a Ric Flair ‘Woo’ and missed Splashes to the corner. They then each Back Dropped Finlay, with him landing on his feet each time till he could make the hot tag to Jay White.

The Bucks put Jay White away with the Indietaker (aTtombstone Piledriver  hit by one Buck with an assisted Spike from the other Buck jumping over the ropes from the outside) to get the pin. They continued stomping on White and Finlay till reDRagon returned to clear the ring. Fish and O’Reilly got a hold of the title belts and dared the Young Bucks to fight them.

Toru Yano, The Kingdom (Michael Bennet and Matt Taven), Kazushi Sakuraba, and YOSHI-HASHI w/ Maria vs AJ Stylels, ‘Bad Luck Fale, Doc Gallows, Tama Tonga, and Cody Hall

The match started with the members of the Bullet Club launching an early attack and clearing the ring of CHAOS and friends. 

Tonga kept up an attack on Yano in the ring, all the while snaking about and clicking his fingers together malevolently. Maria hopped on the ring apron to distract Tonga with her wares and he responded with a shrill cry of joy. Yano yanked Tonga down to the mat by the hair off the distraction. Bennet and Taven hit double team offense on Tonga, Styles, and Hall involving several kicks.

Styles put Sakuraba in the Calf Killer but Sakuraba reversed it into a Cross Arm Bar. Bennet nailed a Neckbreaker on Hall and then rolled to the outside to help keep the other members of the Bullet Club out of the ring. YOSHI-HASHI hit a Swanton Bomb off the top rope on Hall and pinned him for his team to pick up the victory. 

This was a somewhat strange one with CHAOS’ B team plus famous friends fending off an attack from the Bullet Club. It was somewhat surprising to see Styles on a team that took a loss, but seeing he is not scheduled to have a match with the loser of the B-Block final match somewhat clears that up. Likely, the multi-man tag he is scheduled for on the next show will see him shine and begin to build profile for his next program.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Togi Makabe, Katsuyori Shibata,  Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and KUSHIDA vs Kota Ibushi, Tetsuya Naito, Manabu Nakanishi, Captain New Japan, and Ricochet

KUSHIDA and Ricochet started the match. They evaded one other’s offensive maneuvers and had a stare down. Abut and Makabe then briefly squared off. Shibata tagged himself in to face Ibushi, and got  some instant cheers from the audience. Naito kicked Ibushi from the outside and then dropped to the floor, creating instant tension between the two.

Captain New Japan cast a Time Stop spell on Tanahashi, who shook himself out of it and slapped the Captain. Makabe hit a Double clothesline to Ibushi and Captain New Japan. Tanahashi would hit the  High Fly Flow onto Captain New Japan for the win. After the match, Shibata and Naito got into a pull apart fight after the match. There is a possibility that aggression between the two of them will lead to a feud in the near future. 

This was also a strange grouping, pitting the relative all stars against the ‘freaks and geeks.’ Some people in the match really didn't have much to do, but the Junior Heavyweight match scheduled for the next show was promoted and Tanahashi looked impressive going into the finals tomorrow.

Tournament Matches

Tomoaki Honma vs Takashi Yujiro

Yujiro came down to the ring with Mao, who gyrated, waved to the camera, and gave Yujiro a ‘too sweet’ sign before disappearing into irrelevance.

There was a tie up between the two that moved quickly toward the ropes.  Honma gave the clean break.Yujiro bit Honma's fingers and stomped on him by the ropes. They traded chops. Honma knocked down Yujiro but missed the kokeshi head butt. Honma landed the next kokeshi attempt successfully. 

Yujiro took Honma off the top rope with a Superplex.

Honma countered a Suplex attempt and hit a diving kokeshi to the back of yujiro's head.Yujiro moved out of the way of the top rope kokeshi. The two hit simultaneous Lariats on one another. Yujiro went off the ropes and ran into a big diving kokeshi, which Honma aimed right at Yujiro’s taped up shoulder. Honma lifted Yujiro up for a Piledriver but Yujiro escaped, pushed Honma into the referee and hit Honma with a low blow. Yujiro hit the Miami Shine on Honma and pinned him for the victory before leaving to the back, leaning heavily on Mao.

This match seemed to end in a strange result. After the previous B-Block show saw Honma getting his first big triumphant win in a G1 match, the roll would seem to continue easily with a win over Yujiro. I suppose the idea is to make Honma someone who only wins the very big matches, and those not so often. Perhaps a character trait is his frustration over losing matches he could seemingly win. It also goes with a pattern I see forming of a lot of the wrestlers being booked on somewhat even footing across the tournament save the break out performers, something I will get into later. Yet this does not seem to apply to Honma. While the ‘only win the occasional big one’ could be interesting, I think all are ready for him to achieve higher status than where he is at now.

Yujiro: 6 points

Honma: 4 points

Tomohiro Ishii vs Michael Elgin

Both wrestlers charged at each other and attacked with forearms. Elgin dropped Ishii to the mat. Then Ishii knocked down Elgin. They had a stare down. After colliding with each other, Elgin took down ishii with a boot.

Elgin got Ishii up in a suspended vertical lift and then executed a Brainbuster. The commentator exclaimed ‘shinjerarenai’ and clarified for the English speaking viewers, ‘unbelievable!' 

Elgin hit a Backdrop sending Ishii into the turnbuckle. Elgin then dived off the top rope, flipping onto Ishii and attempted a pin. 

Ishii hit a German suplex to stop Elgin's momentum. He hit a Powerslam on Elgin. They took turns blocking one another's forearms with head butts. Elgin rolled Ishii into a German Suplex and a pin attempt.

Elgin hits a Death Vallye Driver (FU) on the ring apron. He then hit a disturbingly painful looking Powerbomb sending ishii into the guard rail outside the ring. Elgin Deadlifted ishii into a slam off the top rope. Ishii wold then come back from taking a lot of punishment. He hit Elgin with the Sliding D. Ishii Head Butted Elgin’s chin and hit a Lariat for a near fall. Ishii then put Elgin up into a Brainbuster and pinned him for the three count and win.

Ishii: 10 points

Elgin: 8 points

This was an excellent match that showed each competitor going all out. Michael Elgin’s run has been fantastic and this was a great way for him to end his last G1 tournament match, really showing off some hard-hitting offense. Ishii and Elgin had a matching style making for an exciting match that probably could’ve been higher on the card, as it outshined some of the other matches afterward.

Hiroki Goto vs Yuji Nagata 

Fans started cheering for Nagata as soon as the match started, perhaps recalling the very tough fight he put up in his last match against Kazuchika Okada. There was a tie up and chain wrestling between the two before they separated and circled one another, looking for the advantage.

Goto has an arm bar locked in on Nagata and then stomps his back. 

Goto keeps Nagata down with stomps, and pressure put on his arm. Nagata went for a  Kick but Goto caught it and hit a kick of his own right to the injured ribs of Nagata.  Negate clutched at his ribs and rolled to the outside, where Goto continued attacking with a stomps and a toss into the guard rail. Nagata hit a running boot to Goto in the corner. He then landed Side Kicks to knock Goto down. Nagata hit an Exploder Suplex sending Goto into the corner. Nagata then hit a Back Drop. Goto fought back with a Lariat, and then hit the ushikoroshi. Goto positioned himself to hit the shouten kai, but Nagata suddenly locked in the Fujiwara Armbar.  Nagata blocked a Lariat and did a Back Drop for a two count. Goto blocked another Back Drop and a Forearm exchange between the two ensued. Nagata punched away a Head Butt by Goto and hit a Rolling Kick. Nagata then nailed the  Backdrop Hold to pin Goto for the win.

After the match Nagata saluted the audience from the turnbuckle and continued emphasizing the pain in his ribs, the injury that has most consistently come into play during the entire G1. This was an OK match but did not work as well as other matches each of these two excellent wrestlers were involved in prior to this. Goto tried to play a heel-ish part, attacking a vulnerable Nagata’s ribs, but the audience didn’t really buy into the uncharacteristically ruthless assault. While there was good reason for these two to not go all out, a better story could’ve been told.

Nagata: 6 points

Goto: 12 points

Satoshi Kojima vs Karl Anderson 

Anderson out with Tama Tonga and partner Doc gallows. Anderson ran flying at Kojima as soon as they bell rang and hit a flying boot to Kojima’s head. Anderson then went right for the Gunstun but Kojima countered. Anderson missed a Lariat and Kojima knocked him down with a shoulder block. Kojima flexed his pecks as Anderson bailed to the floor. Anderson returned to ringside and dragged Kojima out by his feet. Kojima fought Anderson off and tossed him back in the ring. Anderson snapped Kojima’s neck on the top rope and hit s huge Bicycle Kick to send him back to the floor. While Anderson distracted the referee, Tonga and Gallows worked Kojima over on the floor.

Anderson continued to attack Kojima’s arm, snapping it on the top rope repeatedly. Anderson set up a chair in middle of the ring and sat down to pose as Kojima lay on the ground. Anderson called for a Brainbuster but Kojima sailed over it. Kojima landed rapid-fire chops and a Lariat to Anderson in the corner. He then landed an Elbow off the top rope and tried to pin Anderson. Anderson unloaded uppercuts on Kojima on the ring apron. Kojima was able to block and hit a DDT onto the apron. They chopped each other outside and dove under the bottom rope at the same time to beat the twenty count. 

Anderson hit a Reverse Gunstun from the too rope. There was a near fall. Anderson called for the finish of the match and slammed the mat much like someone named Randy. The RKO, I mean Gunstun was blocked and Kojima hit a Cojicutter. 

Kojima hit a big Running Lariat and pinned Anderson for the win. This was a good match, somewhat lacking in drama, but featuring a very good sequence of moves and counters between two, especially toward the end.

Kojima: 6 points

Anderson: 12 points

Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura

The two prominent members of the CHAOS faction circled each other. They engaged in a tentative tie up. Shinsuke was knocked to the ground but stayed on guard. Shinsuke got Okada down with a headlock. They wrestled to the ropes. Okada took a long time, teased a chop and then gave the pats and the break. Okay then struck a Rainmaker pose. There was a Forearm by Nakamura. There attempts at a bomaye and Rainmaker that both missed.

Okada Drop Kicked Nakamura over guard rail on the outside. He hit a Draping DDT to Nakamura onto the concrete floor. Okada put a Running Elbow to Nakamura in the corner. Okada executed a DDT. Okada followed with a Rolling Elbow and tried to pin but Nakamura kicked out. Okada put his own ‘electrified boot’ to Nakamura in the corner and posed, receiving boo’s from the audience. Okada landed big Elbow Strikes to Nakamura in the corner. Okada hit a Running Drop Kick to the head of Nakamura. Nakamura dragged Okada to the outside. Nakamura draped Okada on the rail and hit a running knee to the chest. Nakamura put the 'electrified boot' to Okada in the corner. He landed Knee Strikes into the sternum of Okada. 

Nakamura put Okada on the turnbuckle and drove another knee into his chest. Nakamura hit an enzuguri kick. He then went for the Inverted Exploder but Okada countered into a Neckbreaker over the knee. Okada hit Heavy Rain but could not pin for 3. Nakamura hit a Back Cracker. Then Nakamura executed the Inverted Exploder followed by a Second Rope bomaye for a two count. 

Okada got a drop toe hold in to avoid a knee. Nakamura kicked out of the pin attempt.  Okada then hit a Drop Kick to knock Nakamura  from the turbbuckle to the floor. Okada hit a Tombstone to Nakamura on the floor. Okada threw Nakamura back in the ring. He climbed the turnbuckle and hit a huge elbow off the top. He showed off a Rainmaker pose. Then Okada lifted Nakamura. Nakamura blocked what was to come next with a kick to Okada’s shoulder. Okada put Nakamura in a Backslide, but Nakamura stood out of it and hit a Knee Strike to Okada's head. Both men were down.

The two traded forearms. Nakamura leveled Okada with a knee to the chest and a kick to the top of his head. He hit a running bomaye but only got a two count. Nakamura hit an Avalanche and pinned for two. Nakamura prayed with his hands together in the corner. Then he went for a running bomaye, but Okada countered with a beautiful Drop Kick.  Nakamura stood up from a Backslide and walked into a Rainmaker Lariat. Okada picked him up, blocked a bomaye and went for a German Suplex but Nakamura grabbed Okada's arm to counter. Okada hit another Tombstone. Okada picked Nakamura up and swung the arm for the Rainmaker but Nakamura grabbed his arm and countered into a Cross Armbar. Okada struggled to remain standing while trying to break the hold. Nakamura kept the pressure on, forcing Okada onto his chest. Okada tapped out immediately.  Nakamura wins and advances to the finals.

Nakamura and Okada bumped fists to show their continued solidarity before Nakamura triumphantly addressed the audience and shouted ‘YeahOh!'

Nakamura: 14 points*

Okada: 14 points*

*Although Okada and Nakamura have a tie at 14 points a piece, Nakamura being the winner of the match between the two of them advances to the finals.

My prediction for a Tanahashi/Nakamura final is coming true. While I've been boasting about this, I realize my prediction for Tanhashi to win is feeling a quite a bit less certain, especially looking at the emotion Nakamura carried into his win on this show. I'm holding onto it, though, as the simplest most powerful story available to tell I feel is Tanahashi fighting to regain the title as Okada battles to prove he can beat Tanahashi in the 'big one.' Although Nakamura deserves the spotlight at Wrestle Kingdom, I think he can afford to wait a year...maybe. With Okada VS Nakamura in the books tonight, I don't know how much of a clamor there would be for a rematch. Then again, Okada could lose the title between now and Wrestle Kingdom. But nobody seems poised to take it from him. Another match between him and Styles now would seem to run that feud into the ground unnecessarily fast.

The legitimate suspense of how it all plays out is a big part of NJPW's appeal. Til then...

twitter: @mondocurrymark 

Fight for the Future: Kevin Owens VS Finn Balor

At the beginning of 2015 I would've expressed some trepidation over NXT's course. A run of remarkably bland RAW episodes combined with an utter absence of acknowledgment of NXT's operation during that program had me believing that politics was going to get in the way of the exciting fledgling brand continuing to flourish. I had even at one point made note of NXT's place on the In Ring section of the WWE Network listings being shunted toward the end, almost out of sight. Fortunately, a reversal has taken place, NXT has been getting plenty of opportunities to shine with the party line touted around town being it is no longer a developmental program, but a full fledged brand unto itself. While the rapidly heating up show still squarely falls under the WWE flagship, it has made giant strides by way of developing its own unique identity, taking the show on the road for highly sought after tour dates, and in its most recent step forward, integrating its characters and storylines within the action on the WWE main roster. Not only does this mark a realization that WWE proper should be finding ways to put over its new, hip show, but has shown that with the right storytelling, the connection between the two rosters can generate buzz that affects the WWE's main product positively as well. Those that have been following this unfolding scene can easily connect the dots and form the burly outline of one Kevin Owens.

Owens has been like bottled lightning since debuting in NXT last year, bringing a quiet storm presentation to his few but impressionable confrontations. It helped that a ready made rivalry between him and Sami Zayn, hearkening back to their days in the indies and in Ring Of Honor, was lying in wait of his arrival. He does not only present himself as a compelling and unique heel during promos and interviews, he has an amazing move set. During his match with John Cena at the Elimination Chamber special, he pulled off acrobatic maneuvers that seem impossible for a man of his size and build, not to mention an offensive that looks devastating to anyone on the receiving end.

I wonder if original intentions were to just have Owens come out on Raw during Cena's US Championship open challenge, blindside him, and build some buzz around the then upcoming NXT special while teasing a confrontation between the champions down the line. No matter, the decision to move Owens into the picture on Raw was an excellent one. He presents a fresh and credible threat to others on the main WWE roster, and those savvy fans who have grown tired of WWE's repetitiveness but are tuned into NXT's competition-centric presentation will be more likely to check WWE's main programs to see Owens in action. Owens' increased presence on WWE proper can also do great things for NXT in return, and arguably already has. With the NXT title still in Owens' possession as he defeats top level stars like John Cena, the belt looks that much more valuable and will cause eyeballs to turn toward NXT, and possibly the WWE Network, for those not already subscribing, to see what happens to the championship. Anyone associated with Owens also stands to benefit from the increased exposure, and those names are numerous. Sami Zayn, whose feud with Owens is stll unresolved, would appear to have the potential to move up to the main roster any time to continue unfinished business with the now main roster-cized Owens. Finn Balor, current number one contender to the NXT championship can also get to be more well known, and that much closer to appearing on the WWE's bigger stage. Hideo Itami was last seen expressing his desire to fight Kevin Owens for the NXT championship, before he was sidelined by an injury, and was shown on screen as the victim of a storyline attack, with a suggestion of Owens' possible involvement. Then there is Samoa Joe, who also seems to have immediately gained from NXT's increased prominence, as well as stare-down confrontation with the current NXT champ that went down with an atmosphere slicing tension. His initial contract with pro wrestling's dominant company quickly received an upgrade to main roster status.

Right on the horizon is an intriguing viewing opportunity scheduled for July 4th on the WWE Network that I feel is the perfect moment for the company to shake things up on NXT. Finn Balor is scheduled to make good on his number one contender status and face Owens in a title match at a house show in Tokyo, Japan's Sumo Hall, and it will be broadcast via the Network. From this vantage point, it makes complete and utter sense for them to not only put on a fantastic match, but for the NXT championship to change hands and go from Kevin Owens to Finn Balor, with the man with the demon within picking up the win.

I'm sure whatever this pair does in the ring will make for excellent viewing, but the title change would work for so many reasons. First, Owens is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the main roster activity, and the more he achieves over there the less he needs the NXT title to bolster his image. In fact, midway through slogging through this post, he has just issued a challenge for Cena's US Title after the two have exchanged victories. Second, Finn Balor has amazing potential to be the focal point of NXT, with little more that can be done to help him reach the next plateau other than winning a championship. From there, his eventual elevation to WWE proper seems inevitable. This kind of newsworthy occurrence might seem better saved for a more high profile event and one that is not competing with a major holiday like Independence Day. However, it is the perfect sort of buzz generator to get more eyes and as a result sign-ups for WWE's much touted online streaming subscription service. With the time difference, an evening event in Tokyo would be taking place around 7:30 AM Eastern Standard Time, presuming the whole show will be broadcast, with the main event probably occurring a bit after that; that's not interfering as much with fireworks and other people's holiday plans, and once the diehard fans start tweeting about it, news will spread over a must-see match even more-so if it had some drastic consequences.

What's most poignant about the circumstance is how its location dovetails with Balor's history. It is well known to Japanese wrestling fans that before becoming Finn Balor, Prince Devitt made his bones as a dominant Super Junior Heavyweight and went on to become a core member of the widely known heel faction, The Bullet Club. If facts around Balor's wrestling career in Japan were mentoned, regardless of whether the company NJPW were acknowledged or not, it could make for a very plausible stage on which Balor was victorious. I think it's a near sure thing that fans in attendance of the show will all be rallying behind him, something akin to giving him a home field advantage. And, I am pleased to say that during the time this was being drafted, a video package did in fact bring up Balor's extensive career in Japan.

For a video presentation epitomizing brief, effective marketing of a star on the rise in this era, seek out an ad for the July 4 special - it has been shown on the Network during recent NXT episodes, showing Balor transforming into something otherworldly against a stark white background. A quick, cutting edge looking  thrill ride for the eyes.

With Kevin Owens changing the WWE landscape, and Balor not far behind in his own rise to prominence, I would keep a close on this rare opportunity to see an overseas event broadcast online only, between two wrestlers who, between them, hold some of the greatest potential influence in the industry.

twitter: MondoCurryMark