SRS' NJPW G1 Special Match Ratings, Analysis And Notes

Guide (1-2: DOODY! 3-4: Below Average 5: Average 6: Above Average 7: Good 8: Great 9: Excellent 10: All-Time)

Roppongi Vice, Briscoes Will Ospreay defeated Bullet Club (Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Bad Luck Fale, Takahashi)
6.75/10

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• Good idea to kick off a match with Young Bucks, Briscoes, and several other talent that the audience at home is likely to be familiar with. 
• This is the spotfest you'd expect, and to get the crowd warm that's understandable. Why WOULDN'T this be a spotfest? It's tough to employ psychology with ten dudes in a match. 
• Scurll is kicked off of the apron and his umbrella hilariously floats down.
• Bad Luck Fale hits a Bad Luck Fall over the top rope onto the crowd. Outstanding!
• "I have a deal at hot topic, I can't lose on TV!"
• OH SON OF A BITCH MORE SAMMY HAGAR. THEY TOLD US NO COMMERCIALS!!!

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA & Hiromu Takahashi) defeated Dragon Lee, Jushin Liger, Titan & Volador, Jr.
5/10

• Jim Ross is struggling with names and pronounciations early. 
• Liger got a great ovation. The man is 52.
• Titan and Volador hit a couple of crazy dives in stereo that are scarier because of the rails being where they are. 
• Super cool merry-go-round chair spot. Takahashi gets the win. 
• Another spotfest, but much different than the first match. I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much.

Jay Lethal defeated Hangman Page
United States Title Tourney
3.75/10

• They want the Adam Page thing to work, but he does shooting star shoulderblocks from the apron so it won't work.
• Someone tell me how a shooting star shoulder block from the apron makes a shit of sense.
• Lethal is still busted up from an all-time ass kicking from Silas Young and Beer City Bruiser.
• Jay Lethal also screams out the name of the figure four before he does it, which doesn't make a lot of sense.
• Lethal gets the win, but this wasn't good at all. 

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Juice Robinson
6.5/10

• Juice Robinson was going nowhere in NXT. A lot of guys would have just left the business.
• Funny that for all the talk that he doesn't look the part, Zack Sabre had an ideal MMA body type. 
• Zack Sabre's offense is just fantastic.
• Imagine being Juice Robinson, coming back to the states and having the crowd chant your name .
• When they gonna institute small joint manipulation rules in NJPW?!
• This was outstanding. 

David Finlay, Jay White, Kushida & Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Sho Tanaka, Yohei Kamatsu, Yoshi Tatsu & Billy Gunn
5/10

• KUSHIDA's use of the double wristlock made me fall in love with his work.
• KUSHIDA trolling Billy Gunn was outstanding. 
• What the shit are those boots Finlay is wearing?
• Jay White gets the win and Tanahashi escapes unscathed.

 

IWGP Tag Team Championship
War Machine defeated Guerrilas Of Destiny (c)
NO DQ Match
6/10

• Who thought Camacho would EVER end up back on US TV?
• This is a straight up brawl. 
• Roa buries one of Hanson's moves by waving it on. He treats a lot of things like they're jokes. I don't know that the U.S. debut is the place for that. 
• Spinebuster on Tanga onto Roa. Sick. Powerbomb on chairs from Roa. Gross.
• They even brought the Japanese tables!
• There's a hilarious no-sell spot from Roa, where he knees and nods his head that it hurt.

Tomohiro Ishii defeated Tetsuya Naito
United States Championship Tournament
6/10

• Ishii somehow looks 190 and 320 pounds at the same time.
• Naito has translated well to America. The perfect salvation of shit direction is that guy. 
• Naito has one of the smoothest looking super frankensteiners
• Naito spit in his face. Yikes.
• Ishii gets planted with a gross tornado DDT. 
• I'm not a fan of Red Shoes' reffing work. 
• Ishii advances. 

Kenny Omega defeated Michael Elgin
United States Championship Tournament
8.5/10

• Elgin's strength is one of those things that doesn't seem like it'll ever fail to impress. 
• Missed countout spot. Hard to tell who was at fault there. Omega slammed Elgin kind of late in the count there.
• Elgin takes forever going for a clothesline and does the Terminator clap, and the crowd isn't happy about it. They're happy when Omega reverses it though.
• What a psychotic avalanche splash mountain powerbomb from Elgin. This is outstanding. 
• OH MY GOD WHAT A FREAKING KNEE THAT SHOULD HAVE ENDED ELGIN'S LIFE
• Omega throws a series of knees that have to be seen to be believed.
• Go out of your way to watch this match, please.
• What a Jesus Christing match. 

IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Okada (c) defeated Cody Rhodes
7.75/10

• Cody is doing an awful lot of stalling and posing for my liking, but he's a heel so whatever, I guess.
• Deep into the match, Cody hits a great super arm drag. 

• Cody is trying to play mind games, but that's a tall task against Okada.
• OMEGA HAS THE TOWEL!!! The crowd is BEGGING for the towel to be thrown in! So wild. 
• Rhodes hits a Rainmaker of his own, and I bought it as a finish. Okada hits the Cross Rhodes, too!
• This is the best Cody Rhodes match ever.
• Okada Rainmakers him to a win.