By Jhester Metchado@SuperMastodon
Night 15
Date: August 7, 2019
From: Hamamatsu Arena (Shizuoka, Japan)
Undercard Results:
Taichi, Suzuki, & Kanemaru def. Yano, Tsuji, & Uemura
Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI def. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
Jay, Yujiro, & Chase def. Juice, Honma, & Henare
Naito, Shingo, & BUSHI def. Ishii, Cobb, & Narita
A Block Matches:
SANADA def. Lance Archer
To kick things off with Night 15 of the G1, we got a pretty fun solid match between SANADA and Archer, which is to be expected from both workers of their caliber at this point. Archer dominated the majority of the early going as expected, even attacking SANADA before he could even remove his entrance gear. I personally wanted Archer to win because despite looking like a big tough monster, he does still need a solid win here or there but we’ve faced a dilemma with SANADA fresh off a victory beating Kazuchika Okada so you don’t want the man who defeated the World Champion getting defeated by one of the wrestlers losing the block. Still though, a good match to start the night of action, Archer is yet to find a solution for sneaky wins as SANADA gets him with an O’Connor Roll at the 10 minute and 28 second mark.
Bad Luck Fale def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Ragging on Fale at this point is pretty much my version of beating a dead horse. I mean if a prime Okada and Ibushi couldn’t get a good match out of him, a broken down Tanahashi certainly couldn’t and man I just wanted this match to be over as soon as it started. It was your usual Fale match with him dominating with interferences sprinkled in from Jado and Chase. He wins with another wrestling move believe it or not, a backslide pin towards The Ace. Fale didn’t need the win but whatever. A meh match with a meh finish. I can’t believe I’m hating on a match involving Tanahashi but here we are.
Will Ospreay def. KENTA
Two of the best junior heavyweights of their respective generations finally collided. A fun tidbit on social media when Ospreay tweeted he watched the classic KENTA vs. Kanemaru match from NOAH 2005, if you haven’t seen that yet I recommend you doing so, one of the greatest matches ever in Puroresu of the past decade! Anyway, as for the match itself, I did not expected it to be as hard hitting as it went. The parts where KENTA is doing a solid on Ospreay’s injured neck such as dropping him on it or kicking, it makes me cringe. I guess it’s the good kind of cringe though? But yeah, pretty brutal stuff. There were some obvious botches here and there, the injuries and wear & tear of the tournament is taking a toll on KENTA at this point but he’s still a true pro, transitioning said botches to solid action. I thought they even played into the story as a whole with the much older wrestler, unable to keep up with the much younger yet still equally broken down opponent. It’s like Great Sasuke and Jushin Liger back then, two legendary juniors on their own right, making botches a part of the long term storytelling. This specific match shouldn’t be remembered for that though, it is one of KENTA’s best efforts in his New Japan run so far and obviously you cannot have a bad match with Will Ospreay at this point of his career. As far as I can remember, KENTA was not able to hit the GTS, Ospreay finishes him with a Stormbreaker but before he could do so, hits one of the most devastating Hidden Blades ever! One of the best 16 minute matches for sure if there is such a thing.
Kota Ibushi def. Zack Sabre Jr.
“Every time these two are in the ring, something special happens.” Kevin Kelly couldn’t have said it any better. If you’re new to NJPW then the long term story between these two is actually pretty cool. Remember the Cruiserweight Classic back in 2016? Ibushi and ZSJ both participated in that. Lot of fans had it as their finals but they were eliminated at the semis. Advance a year later, both men continued making waves in New Japan and became two of the best wrestlers in the entire roster, such is the miss of the WWE. But you know what, I’m glad they didn’t sign with them as I think they fit New Japan better and they’ll probably get misused past NXT. Anyway, they’ve faced off in singles action twice already and this is the rubber match if you will. If you only know Ibushi as a highflyer who can strike then this match definitely showcased his technical prowess. Lots of beautiful countering from the two and it’s just they’re seemingly allergic to having bad matches altogether. Zack trying to get in the head and emotions if Ibushi for the most part makes for some of the best comebacks ever. By the end though, the Golden Star captures the victory with the patented Bomaye + Kamigoye combination at the 15 minute and 46 second mark. Another instant classic between these two, they just never fail to deliver!
Kazuchika Okada def. EVIL
Main event for Night 15, Kazuchika Okada faces another member of LIJ and the hometown boy himself: “King of Darkness” EVIL. Like with Ibushi and ZSJ, these two are perfect for each other as well whenever they go at it in singles action, dare I say even better than Okada vs. SANADA. I prefer more on the high intensity, hard hitting matches and that’s what we always get from Okada and EVIL. Brawling to the outside, multiple back-and-forth in the ring, just nonstop fast paced action from top to bottom. Once again for those fans who aren’t that into long rigorous matches, then this may be not for you, but I would still suggest you give it a chance as both wrestlers gave a performance that will really make you glue your eyes to the screen.
A Block Leaderboard:
14 Points = Kazuchika Okada
12 Points = Kota Ibushi
8 Points = SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA, EVIL
6 Points = Bad Luck Fale, Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr.
4 Points = Lance Archer
