NJPW G1 Climax XXX: Day 11

NJPW G1 Climax XXX: Day 11NJPW G1 Climax XXX: Day 11

By Big Red Machine
From October 07, 2020
Discussion

GABRIEL KIDD vs. YOTA TSUJI - 5.75/10


This was good for the time it got.

BLOCK A MATCH:
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yujiro Takahashi - 0.75/10


Within moments, we’re fighting on the outside with no count-out. Ishii eats a reverse DDT onto the floor. Yujiro brings him back into the ring and runs him into the turnbuckle and he’s selling his neck big. I guess he forgot to take his fighting spirit pills today so he can’t no-sell.

Yujiro worked over Ishii’s neck until his health-meter got close to the bottom, but he didn’t finish him so it automatically got refilled. We then got a spot where Yujiro was biting Ishii’s finger in full view of the referee for FIFTEEN SECONDS and didn’t stop despite multiple orders from the referee. He was not disqualified for this. I hate this crap so much because it serves NO PURPOSE. It’s cheating just for the sake of cheating, and being done in a way that both wastes time and constantly makes the referees look stupid for never punishing him. You could accomplish the same thing for the match with an eye-rake, and that would both take less time and not make the referee look like a joke.

Yujiro cut Ishii off and started working over the head again and it turns out I was wrong. Ishii did remember to take his magical pills today. It just took them a little longer than usual to work. Soon enough he’s no-selling forearms to the head. More stuff happened and he gets dropped on his head and now he’s back to selling like he’s broke his neck. I hate this stupid crap. It doesn’t feel like any kind of natural story. It feels like “this is the part of the match where I’ll stop selling because everyone will think it’s cool and Uncle Dave will give us many snowflakes!”

Everyone knows that Yujiro is only in the G1 because of the pandemic and he hasn’t won a single match yet, but of course he gets to kick out of Ishii’s finisher off the top rope. They did stuff for a while. It felt a little repetitive. Yujiro kicked out of about four more lariats than he needed to.

BLOCK A MATCH:
Jeff Cobb vs. Kazuchika Okada - 4.75/10


This was pretty disappointing. Okada worked the head. Cobb was big and strong. I was happy with Okada winning by roll-up because it wasn’t the Cobra Clutch.

BLOCK A MATCH:
Minoru Suzuki vs. Will Ospreay - 7.5/10


They fought on the outside forever with no count-out. Suzuki then got Ospreay in a hold on the outside, and the referee ran in and ordered him to break it up and started counting as if this was somehow illegal? What’s illegal about a normal submission hold being applied on the floor?
Suzuki broke the hold because he didn’t want to get disqualified… and immediately proceeded to go get a chair and try to use it right in front of the referee! How does that make any sense? The referee stopped Suzuki from using the chair, but Suzuki shoved him down. Again… he’ll break this non-illegal hold because the referee starts counting, but is perfectly willing to do things that the rulebook says will result in a DQ like using a chair or pushing the referee down? Is it Opposite Day or something?

Suzuki keeps working Ospreay’s arm over with submission using the barricade and the ringpost, but this all just takes me out of the match because it makes no sense that Suzuki will break the hold when the referee starts counting for these things but is also willing to do blatantly illegal and disqualification-worthy things right in front of the referee. Also taking me out of the match is the fact that they’ve been on the outside for two whole minutes, but only now does the referee start to count them out.

Suzuki worked Ospreay’s arm over some more in the ring. We finally got a match where the “taunt the opponent with stupid little strikes and let him fire up and hit you” spot makes sense, as Suzuki was taunting Ospreay into striking him with the bad arm. That being said, throwing a forearm without thinking because you’re fired up is one thing. Ospreay taking the time to rear back and throw a measured chop with his bad arm is just being an idiot.

The rest of the match was done very well and Ospreay’s selling and fire were excellent. I just would have liked it a lot better if instead of going to the outside and doing all of this crap they had just had Suzuki work the arm over in the ring for the first few minutes. He’s f*cking Minoru Suzuki! There should be nothing wrong with him outwrestling anyone on the roster, even at fifty-two.

BLOCK A MATCH:
Taichi vs. Jay White (w/Gedo) - 4/10


And we come to the match I’ve been dreading all tournament. They stalled on the outside while Red Shoes didn’t count. They did one thing in the ring, then went back to the outside where Taichi choked White with a cable right in front of Red Shoes, who did nothing. Gedo caused a distraction so White could get the advantage, whereupon he ran Taichi’s back into the guardrail. Then White rolled into the ring to break out a count that wasn’t actually happening. That was stupid, but at least it was new. I’m just glad it was White who wound up in control at the end or else I’d have to sit through several minutes of blatant choking from Taichi, followed by the kick to the spine and then the stupid little taunting kicks specifically designed to fire the opponent up for the comeback, which would start with a strike exchange.

Speaking of strike exchanges, the spot where they each offered their neck for a forearm shot but then the other attacked in some other way (Taichi with a kick to the knee, White with a knee to the stomach) was clever the first time, but every subsequent time you do it, they each look stupider and stupider. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Anyway, they did their stupid boring sh*t, did some stuff, then did the cheating spots that we’ve all seen way too much in this tournament for it to be interesting when they try to do it to each other. White won.

BLOCK A MATCH:
Kota Ibushi vs. Shingo Takagi - 8.5/10


Stuff happened early on, then they went to the outside where Shingo beat Kota up for a while, while Red Shoes didn’t count. They did their stuff and worked the head and it was exciting, but there really isn’t much more to say than that. One thing I do want to note is that these main events are definitely suffering from kicking out of too much up and down the card. It’s hit the point where I don’t believe the first two finishers from either guy.

Final Thoughts
Another very disappointing G1 show from New Japan.

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