New Japan "G1 Climax 25" Day 6
A Review by Kevin Wilson

Date: July 28th, 2015
Location: Beppu B-Con Plaza
Announced Attendance: 1,580

What was already going to be one of the smaller events of the G1 Climax got even smaller when Nakamura was scratched due to an injury. So now we only have four matches, none of which are exactly headline-quality. But sometimes matches surprise so we will be optimistic.  Here is the card:

- Block B: Yuji Nagata vs. Yujiro Takahashi
- Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Tomoaki Honma
- Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima

Yuji Nagata vs. Yujiro Takahashi
They roll around on the mat to start the match as Nagata goes for a cross armbreaker, but Takahashi gets to the ropes. Headscissors by Takahashi, Nagata gets out of it but Takahashi bites his hand. They avoid each other’s strikes as they return to their feet, kicks to the chest by Nagata and Takahashi rolls out of the ring to find himself. Nagata goes out after him but Takahashi slides back in and Cody Hall attacks Nagata on the floor.  Takahashi then exits the ring to throw Nagata into the railing before he slides Nagata back in, and Takahashi stomps on Nagata’s chest. Gutbuster by Takahashi and he punches Nagata against the ropes, big boot by Takahashi and he covers Nagata for two.  Sliding kick by Takahashi, cover, but he gets another two count.  Nagata finally hits an offensive move as he knees Takahashi in the stomach, Nagata kicks Takahashi into the corner and he hits an overhead belly to belly suplex. Back up they trade elbows, boot by Nagata but Takahashi (mostly) drops him onto the top rope. Fisherman buster by Takahashi, cover, but Nagata kicks out. Running boot by Takahashi in the corner and he goes for a powerbomb, but Nagata blocks it and exploders Takahashi into the turnbuckles. Elbows by Nagata and he hits a jumping knee followed by a brainbuster, but Takahashi barely kicks out of the pin attempt.  Nagata picks up Takahashi and hits a jumping kick, he goes for the backdrop suplex but Takahashi grabs the ropes. Low blow by Takahashi and he hooks Nagata for a two count. Takahashi goes off the ropes and he hits a lariat, he drags up Nagata but Nagata back bodydrops him.  Dropkick by Takahashi and he hits the Miami Shine, and he picks up the three count!  I’m not sure what that was, having Takahashi win for the sake of the tournament is fine but it just seemed like Nagata went down a bit too easy there. Add in the fact that Takahashi doesn’t have the most interesting offense, and this wasn’t a good match.  I wouldn’t say it was terrible but definitely not one I’d recommend.

Hirooki Goto vs. Tomoaki Honma
They begin with a tie-up, Irish whip by Honma but Goto shoulderblocks him.  Elbows by Honma, he goes for a Kokeshi but Goto rolls out of the way.  Elbow drop by Goto and he stomps Honma, kick to the back by Goto but the cover barely gets one. Headscissors by Goto but Honma gets to the ropes.  Honma and Goto trade elbows until Honma hits a vertical suplex.  Elbow by Honma in the corner and he hits a face crusher followed by a Kokeshi. Single leg crab hold by Honma but Goto get a hand on the ropes, Honma picks him up and hits a few more elbows. Irish whip by Honma but Goto fires out of the corner with a lariat, Irish whip by Goto and he delivers the heel kick in the corner.  Honma goes off the ropes but so does Goto, and he catches Honma with a backdrop suplex for a two count.  Goto lariats Honma in the arm, Irish whip, but Honma hits the jumping Kokeshi.  Kokeshi to the back by Honma and he hits a front flip neckbreaker for a two count.  Honma picks up Goto and hits a scoop slam, he goes up top but Goto avoids the diving Kokeshi.  Both wrestlers slowly get up and try to lariat each other, but Goto wins the battle.  Honma fires back up but Goto hits the neckbreaker onto his knee for a two count.  Goto picks up Honma but Honma reverses the Shouten into an inside cradle for two.  Headbutt by Honma but Goto lariats him hard for a two. Goto picks up Honma, he drops him with the Shouten Kai and he gets the three count! I really wanted to love this match as I like both wrestlers, but I couldn’t. The beginning just really dragged, lots of just stomps and really basic offense.  Honma as the lovable loser is a year and a half long storyline and I am starting to get tired of it, I never buy him winning so his comebacks just are flat to me.  I’d still say it was a good match in a way as Honma is fun and the end stretch was entertaining, but it wasn’t as good as I was hoping.  Mildly Recommended

Karl Anderson vs. Tomohiro Ishii
They trade elbows after the bell rings and Ishii shoulderblocks Anderson to the mat. Anderson avoids the sliding lariat and goes for a cutter, but Ishii pushes him off.  They end up on the apron and trade elbows until Anderson hits a big boot, sending Ishii down to the mat.  Ishii elbows Anderson from the apron and they trade shots again, but another big boot sends Ishii back where he started.  Ishii rolls back in as Anderson chokes him with his knee, Anderson rakes Ishii’s face and he hits a kneedrop.  Ishii fires up and elbows Anderson, Anderson uppercuts Ishii into the corner but Ishii avoids the boot and applies a waistlock.  Anderson elbows out of it and goes off the ropes but Ishii connects with the powerslam. Ishii chops and elbows Anderson in the corner, cover by Ishii but it gets two.  Ishii goes off the ropes but Anderson dropkicks him in the knee.  Anderson picks up Ishii but Ishii blocks the fisherman suplex, Ishii charges Anderson in the corner but Anderson moves and hits a jumping boot.  Anderson hits a fisherman buster onto his knee, neckbreaker by Anderson and he gets a two count cover.  Anderson goes up top and he hits a diving neckbreaker, he drags Ishii back up and goes for the Swivel Gun Stun, but Ishii slides off his back and hits a release German suplex.  Ishii elbows Anderson but Anderson hits a jumping kick. 

Anderson elbows Ishii in the corner but Ishii elbows him back, Ishii puts Anderson on the top turnbuckle and joins him, hitting the superplex back to the middle of the ring.  Cover, but it only gets two.  Ishii goes off the ropes but Anderson blocks the lariat.  Ishii hits the lariat anyway, and he covers him for two.  Ishii goes off the ropes again but Anderson ducks the sliding lariat and hits a boot.  Anderson goes to pick up Ishii but Ishii elbows him back, Anderson picks up Ishii and he plants him with a sitdown powerbomb for a two count.  Anderson goes for a cutter but Ishii pushes him off, Anderson picks up Ishii and he nails the Swivel Gun Stun, but Ishii kicks out of the pin attempt.  Anderson goes for another cutter but Ishii blocks it and lariats him in the back of the head.  Ishii elbows Anderson but Anderson returns the shots, uppercut by Anderson but Ishii hits a hard headbutt.  Ishii picks up Anderson and hits a sliding lariat, cover, but it gets a two count. Ishii picks up Anderson again and this time he nails a brainbuster, picking up the three count pinfall!  So many boots and cutter attempts by Anderson, I wish he would diversify his portfolio.  I wasn’t loving this one either, it just didn’t really ever get interesting with the repeated strike exchanges... it never felt like it evolved.  It was just pedestrian and a skippable match, even though I do generally enjoy Ishii.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Satoshi Kojima
We start with the traditional wristlock exchange before they go to side headlocks, Okada pushes Kojima into the ropes and he gives a clean break.  Irish whip by Kojima and he knocks down Okada with a hard shoulderblock, sending Okada out of the ring.  Kojima goes out of the ring and tosses him around before throwing him into the ring post.  Kojima slides Okada back in and applies a chinlock before raking Okada in the eyes. Stomp by Kojima and he clubs Okada in the back, but Okada puts Kojima on the top turnbuckle and dropkicks him off.  One of the worst transitions ever.  Okada goes out of the ring with Kojima and he throws him into the guardrail.  They return to the ring after a moment and Okada connects with the sliding kick.  Cross-arm submission by Okada, he picks up Kojima and elbows him in the corner.  Irish whip by Okada but Kojima kicks him back when he charges in and hits a hard elbow.  Another elbow by Kojima and he hits him again, rapid fire chops by Kojima in the corner but Okada elbows him back and hits a DDT.  Irish whip by Okada to the corner and he hits a jumping elbow, he goes for the neckbreaker but Kojima gets out of it.  Koji Cutter by Kojima but Okada fires back with elbows, roaring elbow by Kojima and he hits a jumping elbow in the corner. 

Diving elbow drop by Kojima and he delivers a brainbuster, he puts Okada on the top turnbuckle and he hits an avalanche Koji Cutter down to the mat.  Kojima charges Okada but Okada boots him back and hits the reverse neckbreaker.  Scoop slam by Okada, he goes up top and he nails a diving elbow drop of his own.  Okada goes for the Rainmaker, Kojima ducks it but Okada hits a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for a two count.  Okada goes for a tombstone but Kojima blocks it and they trade uppercuts.  Both wrestlers knock themselves groggy, Kojima goes off the ropes and Okada plants him with a dropkick.  Tombstone Piledriver by Okada, Okada goes for the Rainmaker, Kojima ducks it the first time but he can’t avoid the second one.  Cover by Okada and he gets the three count!  I liked the… battle aspect of the match. It wasn’t a super long match but by the end they both were acting battered and worn out as if they were in a war. That is always a good thing of course.  After the one blatantly horrible transition the rest were more normal, and they didn’t do any meaningless limb work which was appreciated. Overall I enjoyed it, far from perfect but the best match on this card.  Recommended

Final Thoughts:

This was a pretty flat show.  It was hurt partially by being down a match, due to Nakamura’s injury. Then all the matches were disappointing or below standards except for the last match, but even that match wasn’t a fantastic must-see match. So far this is the most skippable event of the tournament, nothing here that really needs to be sought out, as even though the main event was very solid I doubt it will be a Top 10 match of the tournament.

Grade: D+

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event reviewed on 7/29/15