New Japan "G1 Climax 25" Day 10
A Review by Kevin Wilson

Date: August 4th, 2015
Location: Sendai Sun Plaza Hall
Announced Attendance: 2,525 (Super No Vacancy)

I am even further behind than I usually am, so let's see how many events I can get through in the next few days.

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

Time for another day of Block B madness.

 Michael Elgin vs. Yujiro Takahashi
They tie-up to start things but Elgin immediately throws Takahashi to the mat. Takahashi slaps Elgin but Elgin drives him into the corner and hits shoulder tackles. Takahashi kicks Elgin and slaps him again, but Elgin hits a shoulderblock. Press Slam by Elgin and he hits the delayed vertical suplex. Cody Hall pulls Elgin out of the ring and he clubs on Elgin while the referee is oblivious. Takahashi comes out of the ring and throws Elgin into the ring post before dropping him onto the guard rail. They finally get back in and Takahashi hits an elbow drop. Takahashi boots Elgin in the corner, Elgin lands out on the apron and he kicks Takahashi in the back of the head. Slingshot body press by Elgin and he hits a jumping elbow in the corner. Roaring elbow by Elgin, he gets Takahashi by the waist but Takahashi shakes him off.  Swinging side slam by Elgin, but Takahashi kicks out of the corner. Elgin picks up Takahashi but Takahashi bites Elgin on the hand. Elgin bites him back but Takahashi hits an Olympic Slam. Big boot by Takahashi and he hits a sliding kick. Fisherman Buster by Takahashi and he dropkicks Elgin, Elgin gets back up as Takahashi grabs him but Elgin kicks Takahashi and suplexes him into the turnbuckles. Elgin grabs Takahashi after Takahashi rolls out to the apron, and he hits the deadlift Falcon Arrow for a two count cover.  Takahashi rolls out of the ring but Elgin kicks him from the apron and then hits a cannonball onto Hall. Elgin grabs Takahashi on the floor and goes for a powerbomb, but Takahashi gets out of it and hits a fisherman buster. Takahashi rolls Elgin back in and covers him, but it gets two.  Takahashi picks up Elgin but Elgin clubs away from him, Takahashi catches Elgin with a release German but Elgin levels him with a lariat.  Elgin powerbombs Takahashi into the turnbuckles and he nails the Elgin Bomb for the three count! This is probably as good as any Takahashi match is going to be but it still wasn’t necessarily good.  Elgin is fun to watch and the crowd enjoys him so that is a plus, since he is still ‘new’ to New Japan his offense doesn’t feel repetitive.  The Takahashi beatdown segment dragged a bit though and still not a big fan of how much interference Hall gets away with. Overall just average but that in of itself is a victory.

Satoshi Kojima vs. Tomoaki Honma
They begin the match with an elbow exchange, Irish whip by Honma and he hits a back elbow, but Kojima avoids the Kokeshi. Shoulderblock by Kojima and he stomps on Honma, Honma eventually fights back with strikes to the chest but Kojima rakes him in the eyes.  Kojima chops Honma in the corner and hits rapid fire chops, Irish whip by Kojima and he hits the jumping elbow followed by the diving elbow drop for two.  They trade slaps to the chest, Honma goes for another Kokeshi but again Kojima moves out of the way. Kojima picks up Honma but Honma blocks the suplex attempt and hits one of his own.  Honma chops Kojima in the chest, he picks him up and hits a jumping elbow followed by the face crusher.  Honma finally hits a Kokeshi, front flip neckbreaker by Honma but it gets two. Scoop slam by Honma, he goes up top but Kojima recovers and joins Honma.  Honma flips over Kojima and hits a powerbomb, Honma goes off the ropes and he hits a lariat.  Kojima comes back with a Koji Cutter, and he follows that up with an Avalanche Koji Cutter. Kojima picks up Honma, Irish whip by Kojima but Honma hits a Kokeshi Rocket.  Brainbuster by Honma, but Kojima kicks out of the cover.  Honma goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Kojima avoids the Diving Kokeshi.  Kojima picks up Honma and hits a few elbows, he goes off the ropes but Honma elbows him back. Release German by Kojima, Honma gets up quickly but Kojima levels him with a short range lariat.  Kojima goes off the ropes, Honma blocks the lariat and goes for the Fire Thunder, but Kojima slides away.  Honma goes for a Kokeshi Rocket but Kojima lariats him as he does so, one final lariat by Kojima and he picks up the three count!   This one started a bit slow for a ten minute match but it was fine once it got rolling.  Kojima’s intro offense is pretty dull, just stomps and chinlocks that lead to nothing, which aren’t a big deal in a long match but are a bit annoying in shorter ones.  The crowd still loves Honma and I enjoyed the back and forth at the end, if they had done more to start the match it would have been an easy recommendation as Kojima is still an intriguing wrestler. Mildly Recommended

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
They jockey for position to kick things off with neither being particularly effective, they trade elbows until Ishii elbows Nagata hard in his already injured rib area. Ishii does it again as Nagata tries to fight back with elbows, Ishii goes off the ropes but Nagata knees him in the stomach. Big boot by Nagata and he hits an exploder, cover by Nagata but it gets two. Nagata goes for a suplex but Ishii blocks it and drops him with a powerslam. Lariat by Ishii in the corner and he hits a vertical suplex, cover by Ishii but Nagata kicks out. Nagata gets back up and they trade strikes, Nagata puts Ishii on the top turnbuckle and joins him, hitting an avalanche exploder. Nagata picks up Ishii and goes for a suplex but Ishii lands on his feet and hits a jumping kick. Release German by Ishii, he picks up Nagata and puts him on the top turnbuckle, he goes up as well as he hits a superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Nagata goes for a jumping knee but Ishii catches him and hits a powerbomb. Lariat by Ishii and he covers Nagata, but again it gets two. Ishii picks up Nagata but Nagata blocks the suplex and applies a seated armbar. Nagata goes for a cross armbreaker but Ishii is in the ropes, forcing a break. Nagata knees Ishii and he hits an exploder into the turnbuckles. Jumping knee by Nagata in the corner by Nagata and he nails a backdrop suplex. Cover, but Ishii barely gets a shoulder up. Nagata picks up Ishii but Ishii elbows him off and hits a jumping kick. Ishii and Nagata trade elbows, lariat by Ishii but Nagata hits an exploder. Ishii springs up and hits a lariat but Nagata hits a heel kick and both wrestlers are down. They get back up and trade slaps, with Ishii getting the better of the exchange. Ishii goes off the ropes, sliding lariat by Ishii but it gets a two count. Ishii picks up Nagata and he nails a brainbuster, picking up the three count! This was a fun match, I enjoyed the exchanges as neither were backing off, it made the match feel important. It didn't have a lot of down time, just lots of stiff strikes and suplexes from both wrestlers. Beyond what you'd expect from a mid-card match and overall an entertaining clash. Recommended

Karl Anderson vs. Kazuchika Okada
Okada starts on the wrist as they begin slowly, headlock by Okada and he hits a shoulderblock. Armdrag by Anderson but Okada returns the favor and both wrestlers return to their feet. Irish whip by Anderson but Okada hits a big boot followed by a sliding kick. Anderson rolls out of the ring but Okada goes out after him and drives Anderson into the guard rail. Okada slides Anderson back in, Okada gets on the apron but Anderson elbows him before he can return to the ring. Anderson drives Okada into the turnbuckle and then he hits a big boot, knocking Okada back out of the ring. Okada barely makes it back into the ring before the 20 count and Anderson hits mounted punches. Cover by Anderson but it gets a two count. Anderson grabs Okada but Okada elbows him, uppercut by Anderson but Okada boots him back. Okada puts Anderson on the top turnbuckle and then hits a dropkick, sending Anderson crashing out of the ring. Anderson returns to the ring while Okada is still acting groggy, kick by Okada and he snaps off a DDT. Jumping elbow by Okada and he hits a flapjack for a two count. Scoop slam by Okada, he goes up top but he jumps off when Anderson charges in. Anderson boots Okada in the face and he drops Okada neck-first onto his knee for a two count cover. Anderson gets Okada on his shoulders but Okada gets away and hits a running uppercut. Okada charges Anderson but Anderson moves and kicks Okada in the face. Reverse Neckbreaker by Okada, he goes up top and he hits a diving elbow drop. Okada poses, Anderson quickly goes for a Gun Stun but Okada blocks it. Sit-down powerbomb by Anderson, but Okada gets a shoulder up. Anderson goes up top and he hits a jumping neckbreaker on Okada, Anderson picks up Okada but Okada slides away. Dropkick by Okada and they trade elbows, Anderson goes for a Gun Stun but Okada blocks it and hits a tombstone piledriver. Rainmaker by Okada, and he picks up the three count! This was a solid match but nothing special. There wasn't a lot of chemistry here which lead to a lot of repeated moves and some time killing which isn't really appreciated. Not bad by any means, but certainly nothing special. Mildly Recommended

Hirooki Goto vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura is the first wrestler to get control in the match as he drops a knee on Goto, Irish whip by Nakamura but Goto hits an armdrag followed by a shoulderblock to Nakamura's injured arm. Nakamura rolls out of the ring, Goto goes after him and he throws Nakamura into the railing. Goto throws Nakamura back in and goes for Nakamura's arm, but Nakamura quickly gets into the ropes. Goto applies an armbar and he elbows Nakamura in the arm before applying a seated armbar. Nakamura wiggles to the ropes to force a break, Goto applies a wristlock but Nakamura kicks out of it, Irish whip by Goto but Nakamura knees him before hitting a heel kick. Nakamura kicks Goto into the corner and hits a few grounded knees to the chest. Goto throws Nakamura into the corner but Nakamura knees him as he charges in and hits a running knee to Goto's midsection for a two count. Goto goes off the ropes and snaps of a backdrop suplex, Goto throws Nakamura into the corner and he hits a jumping heel kick followed by a bulldog. Goto picks up Nakamura and he hits a lariat, cover by Goto but it gets a two. Goto picks up Nakamura but Nakamura knees him and hits a jumping kick. Nakamura picks up Goto and hits a front suplex, inverted powerslam by Nakamura and he goes for the Boma Ye but Goto lariats him as he charges in. Goto picks up Nakamura but Nakamura gets away from the Shouten, applying a sleeper hold.

Goto gets out of it with an Olympic Slam, Nakamura kicks Goto back but Goto drives him into the corner and hits a lariat. Goto puts Nakamura on the top turnbuckle and hits a neckbreaker, he puts him back up top again but this time he joins him. They trade elbows until Nakamura slides down to the apron and kicks Goto to the mat. Nakamura gets on the second turnbuckle and hits a diving Boma Ye, but the cover gets a two count. Back up they trade elbows, scissors kick by Nakamura and he delivers a sliding Boma Ye for a two count cover. Nakamura waits for Goto to get up but Goto catches the knee, heel kick by Nakamura but Goto gets him up and hits the Ushigoroshi. Lariat by Goto in the corner, he puts Nakamura on the top turnbuckle and he nails an avalanche Ushigoroshi for a two count. Goto picks up Nakamura and drops him with the Ura Shouten, but Nakamura barely kicks out of the cover. Goto drags Nakamura back up but Nakamura blocks the Shouten, Goto goes for a lariat but Nakamura catches his arm and applies a cross armbreaker. Goto tries to fight out of the hold but he can't, and he has to submit! This was good, they have solid chemistry together and Goto attacking Nakamura's arm made sense as it was clearly bandaged. I am a bit torn on the ending, I respect and like the cross armbreaker, I just wish he had done something to weaken it at some point to set it up. It can still work as a flash ending with a little foreshadowing. A few lazy transitions were here as they went to strike exchanges for no reason but overall I thought it flowed well. A fun match but not much more than that. Mildly Recommended

Final Thoughts:

Another "good but not great" G1 Climax event. It is only natural that some feeling of sameness will begin to set in. By Day 10 it is going to take something special to catch my attention, and Ishii/Nagata oddly enough was the only match here that was memorable. Most of the others were serviceable but there will be many serviceable matches in the G1 Climax. Even the main event was definitely good, but nothing really that needs to be sought out. It wasn't a bad show top to bottom, but one that will likely quickly be forgotten.

Grade: C

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event reviewed on 8/16/15