Night 4
Date: July 15, 2019
From: Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center (Sapporo, Japan)
English Commentators: Kevin Kelly & Rocky Romero
Undercard Results:
Kota Ibushi & Jushin “Thunder” Liger def. Shota Umino & Yota Tsuji
SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI def. Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare, Ren Narita
ZSJ, Suzuki, Archer, Kanemaru def. Tanahashi, KENTA, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks
Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI def. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
B Block:
Shingo Takagi def. Toru Yano
Admittedly since I never watched Dragon Gate, I didn’t know if Shingo has wrestled in comedic type matches before so I was unsure how he could handle someone like Yano. Those uncertainties where put down quickly however when as soon as the bell rang. Shingo immediately requested for Yano to take his shirt off after the shenanigans with Naito the previous night. It was just a fun match, nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary, still very much enjoyable. A pumping bomber to YTR at the 6 minute and 16 second mark, the shortest time of the tournament thus far, cool to see a signature move win a match for once instead of the traditional finisher.
B Block:
Juice Robinson def. Hirooki Goto
Going into this match both men want to prove something. Juice went on a losing spiral in his G1 last year and Goto did not do well himself. Solid match as expected from both men, mainly on the hard hitting side. There isn’t really any other story between these two so the crowd is silent for the most part and it’s lacking some extra drama for it to be really engaging, at least that’s how I felt. Did not take away from their good performance though, but the result will surely make Goto fans suffer again as 12 minutes in, Juice hits him with the Pulp Friction to take the win. So much for a Goto redemption eh?
B Block:
Jon Moxley def. Jeff Cobb
This may surprise some people but if you actually watch the match you will understand my point. Very disappointed how this turned out, especially with the credentials of both men. The start was a little interesting, showed off some of Mox’s technical side which we rarely see, but as the match progresses, it’s just a stale low paced match. The crowd did not help with them not being hot for this match, I get it though, it’s Hokkaido not Tokyo and this is a match between two gaijins who are still new to the company so they wouldn’t care much. It wasn’t an awful match, we were all just left wanting more. As Mox hits his finish at 6 minutes, it just felt flat. Definitely a momentum killer and in my opinion, his worst match since leaving WWE yet which is a shame as this one had a lot of potential.
B Block:
Tomohiro Ishii def. Jay White
This match is all about revenge. Before he became the leader of Bullet Club today, Jay White used to be a part of CHAOS but it wouldn’t take long before he inevitably betrayed the faction and the boys have not forgotten. He already suffered 1 loss from a former stable mate so far in Goto, now he gets another L thanks to Ishii! This one is my personal match of the night. Just a solid near 20 minutes of nonstop pro wrestling action. From bell to finish, these two just delivered exactly what you expect from them and then some. Lots of great back and forth between them, the right amounts of Gedo interferences, and by the end justice was served to Switchblade as he receives a vertical drop brainbuster. The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is looking bad so far in his record, but as an Ishii fan I couldn’t be more happier myself!
B Block:
Taichi def. Tetsuya Naito
Main event for Night 4 is the IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito taking on a former challenger and a familiar one at that in Taichi. While Ishii vs. Jay was just straight up wrestling sprinkled with some shenanigans here and there, Naito vs. Taichi was just purely shenanigans! It was great though as they really got your attention. From Miho to Kanemaru, foreign objects, ref bumps, you name it, this match had it all. But not only that, some excellent wrestling as well makes for an enjoyable match between two rivals. Since Takashi Iizuka retired, he unofficially gave his iron finger to fellow Suzuki-Gun member Taichi and finally, the unholy glove was used for the first time since Iizuka’s retirement and boy was it effective. Taichi hits Naito with it plus delivering an elevated powerbomb to secure the victory at 21 minutes! While I enjoyed the previous match for the wrestling aspect, this one for the entertainment value.
Did not expect Naito will be starting the G1 at 0-2 but here we are, Gedo just keeps on killing our pick’ems as is tradition. Taichi wins in his hometown, a potential future shot at the IC Title once again awaits the Holy Emperor.
B Block Leaderboard:
4 Points = Jon Moxley, Juice Robinson, Tomohiro Ishii
2 Points = Hirooki Goto, Taichi, Shingo Takagi, Toru Yano
0 Points = Jay White, Tetsuya Naito, Jeff Cobb
