G-1 Climax

[Knapik]

So Giant Bernard has a draw with Satoshi Kojima and a WIN over Tanahashi! AWESOME. The Tanahashi/Bernard match went 18 mins and was probably pretty good.... wish I could watch!

[behindthebook]

I've become a real Bernard fan. I always kind of liked him in the E, but in the stuff I've been watching on the internet from Japan, he's taken his game to a new level.

[Knapik]

Yeah same here. I hope he wins... he's a pretty big star, I don't think it's too far fetched for him to be the first American to win it.

[pikemojo]

That would be huge. The first American to win the G-1.
It doesn't mean as much to be an American to hold the IWGP title anymore. There have been quite a few to do that but the G-1 is still untouched.

[tigersamurai]

At this point Bernard will almost definitely make the semi's, but as I mentioned in an earlier thread I just can't see him winning the whole thing. If he does he could legitimately challenge Tanahashi to a title shot, problem with this is they've had three singles matches in the last two or three months with all three of them being big deal matches, one was the final for the IWGP mini-tourney, the other in the G-1, and yet another in a main event.

Another big match between the two for the title would be overkill and another Tana win takes Bernard out of the picture for a while, while a Tana loss makes him look like a weak champ, and after the Lesnar deal that's the last thing they want.

There's a good chance Bernard will lose to Nakanishi tomorrow in order for Naka to at least pick up some points and a win over Bernard also makes him look good in an otherwise lackluster run.

Kojima and Bernard will make it as will Tanahashi, the fourth one is th wild card. Nagata looks good and could be a viable option, but then there's also Tenzan who said earlier he wanted another good singles run after tagging with Chono and winning and then having to vacate the tag belts due to Chono's injury. If Tenzan moves on we could get a tease of Tenzan/Kojima round three as they've had two other high profile matches in '05 and if that happened a Tenzan win would help his singles run considerably.

All that said I don't see Kojima or Bernard winning it. As for the comment that an American winning IWGP title not meaning much, in the 20 year history of the title and the 21 holders in 45 reigns only 4 Americans have held the belt, Norton held it twice and I believe Vader held it 4 times. So it would still be a pretty big deal, especially considering th lack of respect Lesnar and Bob Sapp are given in respect to holding it.

At this stage I really can't make a pick anymore, I had originally gone with Nakanishi, but was way off, obviously. Obviously after tomorrow it might be a bit easier to tell who the fourth man will be if I'm right about those other three.

[tigersamurai]

Just wanted to add something really quickly, I noticed that Bernard is the first American in five years to even be in the G-1 and in addtion to that only one American in the history of the G-1 has even gone to the finals... That man: Rick Rude.

So if Bernard makes it to the finals he'll be in very good company! Also Tenzan, Nagata, and Nakanishi (didn't know this one) have all won the G-1 before.

Honestly this year's tourney has me really interested. Between Bernard, the Jrs (Kanemoto and Liger), the IWGP champ, three former winners, a young lion, and arguably the biggest puro star of the past two years (Kojima) its a really varied field of competitiors with only Yamamoto really being out of it at this point. Though you could probably count Makabe and Nakanishi out as well. Kanemoto could make a comeback too.

Hmmm, this why puro is so great, even though business is lagging and things aren't as great as say 10 years ago it's still more interesting than say King of the Ring when its pretty predicatable to tell who will win. One of the virtues of treating it like real sport rather than entertainment.

[Knapik]

wWll put, tigersamurai.

Here are the results for today:
G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] beat Naofumi Yamamoto [0] (12:28) with the TTD.
G1 Climax - Block B: Koji Kanemoto [4] beat Togi Makabe [3] (11:25) with a Falcon Arrow.
G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi [2] beat Giant Bernard [3] (11:41) with the Fujiyama German suplex hold.
G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima All Japan [5] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] (21:55) with a lariat.

and the standings:
Block A:
1. Satoshi Kojima [5]
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]
3. Giant Bernard [3]
4. Jushin Thunder Liger [2]
5. Manabu Nakanishi [2]

Block B:
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
2. Koji Kanemoto [4]
3. Yuji Nagata [3]
4. Togi Makabe [3]
5. Naofumi Yamamoto [0]

Bummed Bernard lost, but he's not out of it yet. Here's the final day's matches before the semifinals:

BLOCK A
Kojima vs. Nakanishi
Bernard vs. Liger

BLOCK B
Makabe vs. Tenzan
Nagata vs. Kanemoto

I see Kojima beating Nakanishi and Bernard beating Lyger, or perhaps drawing? I can't see Lyger over Bernard at this point. I think Tenzan wins (though even with a loss he's in) and Nagata over Kanemoto. Could be a draw there too hmm. If I were to pick right, this is what it would look like:

Block A:
1. Satoshi Kojima [7]
2. Giant Bernard [5]
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]
4. Jushin Thunder Liger [2]
5. Manabu Nakanishi [2]

Block B:
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8]
2. Yuji Nagata [5]
3. Koji Kanemoto [4]
4. Togi Makabe [3]
5. Naofumi Yamamoto [0]

I suppose this is wishful thinking... I can't imagine them leaving out Tanahashi, but I hope it happens this way. What do you think?

[tigersamurai]

This is where the G-1 gets really interesting!

It's really hard to tell what's gonna happen. If NJ wants Tanahashi to advance then Liger will beat Bernard which isn't out of the question. However, one of the big reasons NJPW does the G-1 is to set up the challengers for the champ.

Bernard is already a contender so a win won't do too much for him here. But a trip to the semis or farther makes him even more of a threat.

Tenzan needs the tournament win, really, because he's been doing purely tag for the past year and hasn't been a respected singles competitior in a while, even when he held the IWGP title.

Kojima on the other hand is a foreigner (AJPW), but he is a true born as well (started in NJPW). This said the biggest rub for Tanahashi would be a win over Kojima in a title match down the road.

Liger, Kanemoto, and Nakanishi can't be counted out just yet. Of course Liger probably won't out and out beat Bernard, possibly draw, or something mentioned on another board is a no contest. In which case both "lose" and get no points.

The predictable semis at this point would be: Tenzan vs.Bernard and Kojima vs. Nagata

If this happens I see a TenKoji final with Tenzan getting the win. Though it's too hard to tell, honestly.

Now, I mentioned Liger beating Bernard earlier. If that happens it will give Tanahashi a chance to avenge his loss to Koji in the finals, but I don't see Tanahashi winning it. It'll be too much and then Tanahashi will be stuffed down our throats like a bitter horse pill.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say Kanemoto upsets Nagata, giving the Jrs a continued strong run in the G-1 and putting Kanemoto through with Tenzan (I don't see Tenzan losing to Makabe, though that would make things very interesting). The semis:
Tenzan vs. Bernard

Kojima vs. Kanemoto

Finals: Kojima vs. Tenzan

Winner: Kojima (crazy and against all the rules, but it helps set up a Tanahashi/Kojima rematch with Kojima looking super-strong, so when Tanahashi gets the win it strengthens his title) Plus I see Tenzan going undefeated until the finals which makes him look strong as hell and also a threat to Tana and the strap. This sets up three strong contenders, BErnard (cause he beat Tana in the prelims), Tenzan (he went undefeated and makes it to finals) and Kojima (he wins, he's tough, he's loved, he's respected, nuff said)

Of course this is all crazy and probably incredibly wrong, lol. Sorry for the rambling, but at this point I'm really stoked about the rest of the tourney!
~Sam

[Knapik]

Me too! I have this program called Afreeca. It's Korean and they show a lot of Japanese TV... I bet they show the tournament! It's how I watch Pride live. What time would it be on live? If it shows up I'll let you know

[tigersamurai]

Quick note, apparently the Japanese press (for those that may not know, wrestling is covered in the newspapers there as though it were a real sport) are hyping Tenzan/Kojima heavily for the finals. While that's no way of knowing, it definitely shows how the Japanese folks are feeling about this one.
~Sam

[floydthebarber]

Got to give New Japan credit...they've really done a nice job with the G1 this year. Giant Bernard has shown Japan and NJPW a lot of respect, and his style is really well suited to Japan and I think he understands that...and in turn, New Japan seems to have embraced him as well. He could very well build himself into a Norton/Vader type...he already wears the NJPW 'red track suit' with pride, and I think he'd make a worthy (and cool) champion.

I think it'd be pretty interesting if Kojima won the whole thing...

[tigersamurai]

Well, it's all set! Kojima and Tenzan won their respectve blocks and advance to the semis along with Bernard. The surprise of the tournament, though, turns out to be Koji Kanemoto who has also made it in, edging out Yuji Nagata! They had a 30 minute time limit draw that was apparently to the fans' liking. Nagata is said to have dominated most of the match, but Kanemoto wouldn't go down.

The semis will be Kanemoto vs. Kojima and Bernard vs. Tenzan

I have a feeling we could see TenKoji round three, but I can't count either Bernard or Kanemoto out.

The reason I definitely see Tenzan advancing to the finals, though, is because he went completely undefeated, to have him lose in the semis seems a bit flat and Bernard in no way needs the win, whereas Tenzan certainly does. That being said, I don't think this means that Tenzan automatically wins the G-1, either. But I do believe he'll make it to the finals.

Bernard already won the New Japan Cup, made it to the finals of the IWGP tourney, and has won over New Japan. His heat is there to stay and his shots will come in the future, no matter what. It might be a case of too much too soon if he goes on.

The way the Juniors are being pushed, Kanemoto could make it to the finals. However, I don't see him beating Tenzan and I don't think anyone else would buy that either, so unless they're planning on Kanemoto winning the whole deal by some sort of miracle I don't see him making it to the finals. If he does, he'll win and shock everyone and have all the adoration in the world as being the first Junior since Fujinami to win it. Kanemoto has held the Jr. title 5 times in the past 10 years and won two BOTSJ tournaments. He's also, quite frankly one of th emost complete wrestlers in the world. He's like a light heavyweight version of Angle in some ways. His attitude is bad (in-ring, real life I hear he's a ncie guy,lol) and he's seen as an arrogant punk, but the fans haven't seemed to care lately as he's been the top babyface in the Junior division as of late. In no way is it a bad thing if Kanemoto wins, in fact he's the one I'd love to see win more than anything.

Tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day for New Japan and I can't wait to read the results.

[Knapik]

WAR BERNARD!

I wish I could watc h this live. It's so great not knowing who is going to win. I think Tenzan beating Kojima is a safe bet, though.

[floydthebarber]

NJPW, 8/13/06 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. Wataru Inoue & Yujiro vs. Minoru & Prince Devitt
2. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Koji Kanemoto vs. Satoshi Kojima
3. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Giant Bernard
4. Tiger Mask, El Samurai & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo
5. Shiro Koshinaka & Togi Makabe vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
6. Yuji Nagata & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto
7. Yoshihiro Takayama New Japan Return Match: Masahiro Chono, Yoshihiro Takayama & Milano Collection AT vs. Riki Choshu, Manabu Nakanishi & Akebono
8. G1 Climax - Final: Semi Final 1 winner v. Semi Final 2 winner


**Should be a great night of action. I agree that Bernard will probably fall to Tenzan...while I think Kojima will defeat Kanemoto. The final is 50/50 in my eyes. Bernard doesn't need the win...but to get to the Semi-Finals over the current IWGP Champion certainly will work in his favor when he's looking for a Title shot. As for Kojima, I just think it would make for interesting press if he were to win the G1...and might lead to a mini AJPW/NJPW feud.

[tigersamurai]

Well Kojima already went over Tenzan last year to become the first 4-crown champ in history, he was the Triple-Crown holder at the time. Though, a prolonged run in NJ would be nice, seen as how that's technically "home" for Koji (he's a trueborn). Anyway, gotta run, will ad more later.
~Sam

[Knapik]

The six man tag before the finals should be classic. I'm a big Chono fan and Milano Collection AT is one of my top 10 favorite guys going right now. I hope their alliance lasts and I get to see them together someday!

[Knapik]

knapik said:

WAR BERNARD!

I wish I could watc h this live. It's so great not knowing who is going to win. I think Tenzan beating Kojima is a safe bet, though.

Yep!

[tigersamurai]

Well, the G-1 is over and the finals were indeed TenKoji. In a match that went close to thirty minutes and is also said to be their best confrontation yet, both men used every piece of their arsenals to beat the tar out of one another. In the end it was the crowd-favorite Tenzan who got the win, Kojima was practically booed out of the building early on and played up the heel reaction he was getting to the hilt... So now in the past 5 years Chono and Tenzan have dominated the G-1.

It's a good result, if a bit predictable, however, it seems the major story coming out of the G-1 is actually Kanemoto. HIs trip to the semis and his amazing battle and show of guts against Kojima (he nearly won the match) won over the fans even more and it's a safe bet that Kanemoto is now the most over guy in NJ based on the crowds reaction.

Tenzan's win can be played out one of two ways, because he went undefeated he looks super-strong and could make a very credible threat to Tana's title as well as a great, respected champion should he win. Looking as strong as he does a title win will give him the run and reign he's never had.

If he loses to Tanahashi, though, it could transfer some of his strength and popularity to the younger champ. This is the likely outcome, though obviously a title win can't be counted out.

Well, it was certainly a great tournament. The matches, from what I hear, were pretty much excellent across the board. The excitement of Kanemoto making it to the semis combined with an amzaing finals match have easily made this one of the best g-1s in a while... And it had the same outcome, lol.

It'll be cool to see where NJPW goes from here.
~Sam

[floydthebarber]

NJPW, 8/13/06 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
11,000 Fans - No Vacancy

1. Minoru & Prince Devitt beat Wataru Inoue & Yujiro (6:28) when Devitt used a brainbuster on Yujiro.
2. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Satoshi Kojima beat Koji Kanemoto (15:41) with a lariat.
3. G1 Climax - Semi Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Giant Bernard (11:13) with the Anaconda Vice.
4. Jushin Thunder Liger, Jado & Gedo beat Tiger Mask, El Samurai & Ryusuke Taguchi (11:03) when Jado used the Crossface of JADO on Taguchi.
5. Shiro Koshinaka & Togi Makabe beat Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii (10:36) when Makabe used a lariat on Ishii.
6. Yuji Nagata & Hiroshi Tanahashi beat Takashi Iizuka & Naofumi Yamamoto (13:38) when Tanahashi used a Dragon suplex hold on Yamamoto.
7. Yoshihiro Takayama New Japan Return Match: Riki Choshu, Manabu Nakanishi & Akebono beat Masahiro Chono, Yoshihiro Takayama & Milano Collection AT (12:49) when Choshu used a lariat on Milano.
8. G1 Climax - Final: Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Satoshi Kojima (27:36) with the Original TTD.


** Your right about the Kanemoto/Kojima match...I've always thought that the NJPW 'Junior' division is one of the strongest divisions period in all of wrestling...and Koji having such a great showing in the G1 is well deserved (and a smart booking move too IMO)

Tenzan v. Tanahashi should be pretty sweet. Will we see Bernard v. Tanahashi first as a 'warm up'...because I've got to think that Tenzan will be the favorite even though he's the challenger.

Brock who?

[LWPD]

G1 Finals Tenzan vs Kojima 8/13/06

LWPD (by no means was this among the 'best' events in the history of New Japan...but it was respectable...and hopefully a sign of good things to come)