Night 2
Date: September 20, 2020
From: Osaka Prefectural Gym
Match #1 – Juice Robinson def. YOSHI-HASHI
YOSHI-HASHI carrying the NEVER Openweight Six Man Belt like it’s the IWGP Title. Ishii and Goto did not even wear theirs during the entrances so shame on them. You love to see it. That meaningless belt turned out to be the world for the man. As for Juice, he’s always been unorthodox with his entrance gears but man he went all out with this one. Looking like a lost member of Right to Censor with a Freddie Mercury vibe in the ring, then starting a “We Will Rock You” chant to boot. Anyway enough with the aesthetics, this match turned out to be pretty good. Juice has always been a great when paired with a solid worker and YOSHI-HASHI has brought up his talents more, especially ever since winning the his first ever title in his career. His underdog story becomes more endearing now that he’s actually accomplished something albeit quite not a prestigious belt, he actually brings something to the table now. Unlike the Okada vs. Ibushi match, I thought this one despite the lengthy time did not actually drag on for too long. Their chemistry was surprisingly good and I’d say this, Juice is a good example of someone executing the “WWE style” perfectly in a New Japan ring. While his striking isn’t bad, the blending of primarily character work and playing off the crowd works wonders for his matches and elevates someone like a YOSHI-HASHI who ultimately lacks in the charisma department. A pretty good match with Juice getting the victory by the end with the Pulp Fiction. All the returning gaijins getting their wins. Unless you count Cobb who loss.
Match #2 – Toru Yano def. SANADA
The Cold Skull got Yano’d. Nuff said.
Match #3 – KENTA def. Hirooki Goto
I’d say it like it is, this match was really underwhelming. Which is a shame because once again their Tokyo Dome match earlier in the year was one of KENTA’s best works in his New Japan run but they haven’t been able to capture the same magic here. It felt like a basic match, nothing special or bad about it, just bland from start to finish. There wasn’t enough heat for it to take the bout to another level and I know KENTA is way past his prime already due to the stack of injuries and we will never see his NOAH self again, I’ve come to terms with that years ago. But why I’m very disappointed in this match is I know they can still deliver at least a good bout but this going to be a forgettable affair. KENTA wins with the GAME OVER submission tapping out Goto. The biggest choke artist in Puroresu. I’m so sorry for Goto fans, as a Naito supporter, your pain is worse than mine.
Match #4 – Zack Sabre Jr. def. EVIL
ZSJ has always been EVIL’s best opponent. That is cemented here with this very entertaining match they had. It’s better than any of EVIL’s New Japan Cup or Double Title matches. Their styles mix well with one another, complimenting the submission centric offense of ZSJ with EVIL’s heel tactics. It is kind of an odd sight to see a Suzuki-Gun member playing the babyface role but EVIL was the clear heel here with Dick Togo aiding him throughout the bout. The pace was set up nicely and covered for EVIL’s weakness which are lengthy matches that often lead to him playing with the crowd by going out of the ring and do the same old shtick. He didn’t get to do a lot of that and ZSJ managed it well with his offense as the momentum didn’t really falter that much. A surprise pin got the victory for the other half of the reigning tag-team champions with the European Clutch, some might say this is an upset win as EVIL is still fresh off from his IWGP Double Championships reign but I hate to say it, his aura does not even feel like that of a former champion but at least a win over him counts as something a bit more valuable now with that feat. Props to the Japanese commentary team as well for going mental on Zack’s win reacting as if he found the cure for COVID.
Match #5 – Tetsuya Naito def. Hiroshi Tanahashi
The history between these two wrestlers go way back and all of their high profile matches have all and sometimes even went further to expectations. Once again, we’ve gotten another instant classic between Naito and Tanahashi. I personally enjoyed their feud for the Intercontinental Championship way back and always knew they can deliver quality matches, this was no different. Although Tanahashi is past his athletic prime due to years of bumps, after all this is his 19th consecutive G1 and there’s still no sign of the man slowing down. We all have our doubts each year how this might be the “final hoorah” for Tana but he keeps proving all of the doubters wrong by having stellar performances like this one. The way he conveys his psychology always captures the viewer to focus on the match, every move seems like it is detailed bit by bit to showcase a wonderful performance in the end. Props on Naito’s part too playing the heel role in this one despite being a fan favorite and going in as the reigning Double Champion. Admittedly after his two matches in the Dome, Naito had quite a disappointing year so far with his underwhelming bouts with KENTA and EVIL. But he has bounced off rather nicely in this one. The beginning part is still slow paced but that’s to be expected, but as the match continues to rise in momentum and goes on, the tension goes above along with it and you can feel the intensity the two men had elevate. Their match at Wrestle Kingdom 11 is honestly still might be my favorite IC Championship match not only to how it turned out but the entire build up of Naito destroying the belt and disrespecting it, Tanahashi then trying to save the honor and prestige of the belt. Fast forward to now in this G1 main event, while not on the same level, is still pretty good and it’s nice to have a good Naito match for once in what felt like ages. Tana got close calls into winning during the finishing sequence, but when he missed the High Fly Flow for the second time, it spelled the end. The Destino put him on his place and Naito got his first two points in this year’s G1 as the champ. Good showing for both, let’s hope this becomes consistent throughout the rest of the tour.
