New Japan Pro Wrestling continued their G1 Climax tournament on Friday. Since the show began at 5:30am EDT, here’s a spoiler-free match listing for the non-nite-owl New Japan fans. Each match has been given a Need To Watch Rating of 0.0-10.0. The show is available at NJPWWorld.com
FIRST MATCH: Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & El Desperado) vs. Ren Narita & Michael Elgin
A wilder brawl than these matches usually are. Decent tag match.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.5)
SECOND MATCH: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & EVIL) vs. Bullet Club Elite (Hangman Page & Chase Owens)
Page & Owens continue to be a dynamic unit. Teases of tomorrow’s EVIL/Page are quite fun.
Need To Watch Rating: (1.5)
THIRD MATCH: Bullet Club OGs (Tanga Loa & Bad Luck Fale) vs. CHAOS (Jay White & YOH)
The saga of Jay White & YOH’s tenuous partnership continues. The Tongans remain a dominant force. YOH will be a huge star some day.
Need To Watch Rating: (4.5)
FOURTH MATCH: Hiroshi Tanahashi & David Finlay vs. Togi Makabe & Toa Henare
Finlay and Henare give a preview of their C-Block match. Makabe and Tanahashi keep the crowd molten hot.
Need To Watch Rating: (4.0)
FIFTH MATCH: CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI & SHO) vs. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Gedo)
YOSHI-HASHI & Okada are going to have a fun match tomorrow night. SHO and Gedo have amazing chemistry.
Need To Watch Rating: (4.6)
SIXTH MATCH: B Block Match: Hirooki Goto (2 pts) vs. Toru Yano (2 pts)
Yano match, but not exactly like the Yano matches this tournament has already seen.
Need To Watch Rating: (6.5)
SEVENTH MATCH: B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito (4 pts) vs. Tama Tonga (2 pts)
Easily the best match to feature Tongan shenanigans. While not up to Naito’s earlier matches, still a fun entry.
Need To Watch Rating: (8.8)
EIGHTH MATCH: B Block Match: Tomohiro Ishii (4 pts) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (2 pts)
These two have an amazing match, that plays off their three previous singles contests. Definitely the first must see match of the night.
Need To Watch Rating: (9.7)
NINTH MATCH: B Block Match: Juice Robinson (0 pts) vs. Kenny Omega (6 pts)
Omega and Robinson have a fairly subdued match, considering its champion vs. champion. Robinson’s hand continues to be his opponents’ target.
Need To Watch Rating: (9.0)
MAIN EVENT: B Block Match: SANADA (4 pts) vs. Kota Ibushi (4 pts)
This match is utterly breathtaking. SANADA and Ibushi’s first singles match, and they are the most well-matched wrestlers in NJPW. Both men met each other move for move and hold for hold. This is the only truly special match of the night. Seek. Out. This. Match.
Need To Watch Rating: (10.0)
