HTQ on Day Four of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Four saw a slight upset, a pretty surprising upset, and a great main event, that sadly lacked a little when it came to heat.
Another forfeit loss for Makabe, not that he would have won had he been able to wrestle.
It doesn't look like Goto is going to pull off his trademark upset this year, but you never know. Nakamura continuing his apparent march towards the finals.
No upset here, with Yano barely lasting past five minutes.
Tenzan keeping his comeback going, and still a possible finalist.
Not the result I expected, and I picked Chono to win. And I don't care, because it means Nishimura is no longer at the bottom of the rankings in Block A.
The Tanahashi win was mostly expected, but Yoshie still surprising us by being ahead of Tanahashi at this stage, though that will likely change soon.
Another upset, and again it is down to a submission hold getting countered. I still would have liked Suzuki to win, but we'll see how this plays out.
This match was reportedly great, but lacking in crowd heat, which is something that this region is apparently noted for. If Kawada was going to lose a match in the tournament, I would have had it be this one, but I guess they wanted Kashin to get the boost, and it does also leave open a rematch between these two, which should be even hotter, as it would likely take place in front of a better crowd.
After four days of action, this is how the rankings look:
Block A:
1. Toshiaki Kawada [6]
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
3. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
4. Masahiro Chono [4]
5. Kendo Kashin [4]
6. Osamu Nishimura [3]
7. Minoru Suzuki [3]
8. Yuji Nagata [2]
Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [8]
2. Kazuyuki Fujita [8]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [6]
4. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi [3]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Toru Yano [1]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
Block A is relatively open, with Kawada and Tenzan heavy favorites for the Block's spots in the finals, but Fujinami, Chono and Kashin all in a position to get a look in. Strange and sad to see Nagata at the bottom of the Block. Block B is more decisive, with Nakamura and Fujita all but locked into the finals portion, though Manabu Nakanishi could theoretically pull something off. Makabe will finish last due to his injury, though that was almost certain to happen anyway. Tanahashi being where he is does surprise me a little, but not totally, due to his injury and, for me, the politics concerning his match at the NOAH Dome Show.
They have tomrrow off, and come back Wednesday for Day Five. Tournament matches are Nakamura v Yano (Nakamura winning), Tanahashi v Goto (I expect Tanahashi to win, but I do not rule out a Goto win), Nagata v Kashin (I hope Nagata wins, but I think Kashin will get the win), Yoshie v Fujita (Fujita to win), Fujinami v Nishimura (Nishimura to win), Tenzan v Suzuki (Tenzan to win), and Kawada v Chono (Kawada should win, but I'm picking this one to go the distance).
For Day Four, I was 5-2, which isn't bad.
HTQ on Day Three of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Three of the G1 Climax Tournament saw one of the strangest booking decisions of the tour so far, and probably all year, as well as the usual hot matches you expect from the most prestigious tournament in wrestling.
Goto getting the forfeit win, as Makabe tore his achilles tendon on Day Two.
Yoshie suffers his first loss here, and Nakanishi boosts his chances of finishing high up in the rankings.
Tenzan continues his march to a potential third G1 tournament win, while Nishimura, sadly, continues to stay firmly at the bottom of Block A.
Nagata scores his first win of the tournament in what should be another match with a hot atmosphere, and in what could herald the beginning of a big comeback by Nagata.
Fujita scores his second sub-five minute win of this years tournament, but Yano still reportedly put up a heck of a fight.
This one is mind boggling. If Kawada was to lose in the group stage, I sure would not have had it be to Kashin. Kashin is really popular in Japan, but I still think it would have been better to save the loss for someone else, possibly even Nagata, as they main event Day Four of the tournament.
Not a real surprise, this match was said to be not that hot, but I still want to see it, as the collective charisma should be off-the-charts.
This was a rematch of their main event at the January Dome Show, and again it was Nakamura picking up the win. This match was not as long, due to Tanahashi being injured, but still pretty good from all accounts.
With three days of competition gone so far, this is how the rankings look:
Block A:
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4]
2. Masahiro Chono [4]
3. Toshiaki Kawada [4]
4. Kendo Kashin [4]
5. Minoru Suzuki [3]
6. Yuji Nagata [2]
7. Tatsumi Fujinami [2]
8. Osamu Nishimura [1]
Block B:
1. Shinsuke Nakamura [6]
2. Kazuyuki Fujita [6]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [4]
4. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
5. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi [1]
7. Toru Yano [1]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
A four-way tie at the top of Block A, although it seems unlikely that Kashin will stay in that position for long. Things a little clearer in Block B, with Nakamura and Fujita ahead of the pack, and looking likely to stay there. Makabe will stay at the bottom of Block B and wind up with zero points due to his injury.
Day Four is tomorrow, and sees Fujita getting a forfeit win over Makabe, though he will have a match against a mystery wrestler. Actual tournament matches will see Nakamura v Goto (Nakamura winning), Nakanishi v Yano (Nakanishi winning), Tenzan v Kashin (Tenzan winning), Nishimura v Chono (Chono winning, but I hope Nishimura wins so he isn't bottom of the block), Tanahashi v Yoshie (I expect Tanahashi to win, but I would not count out a Yoshie win), Fujinami v Suzuki (I think either man could win, but I'm going with Suzuki), and Nagata v Kawada (I expect Kawada to win here after his loss to Kashin today)
I was 6-1 for Day Three, with Goto's forfeit win not counting either way.
HTQ on Day Five of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Five didn't see any breakout matches, but it did feature some very questionable booking, and either another unfortunate injury or a badly thought out worked-shoot.
Nakanishi getting the forfeit win over Makabe due to Makabe's injury. Nakanishi did have a non-tournament match, though, with a win over Yujiro
If this isn't a legit injury, then this is a strange and terrible decision. If it is legit, then I guess they didn't want Yano getting the win for some reason, and they weren't able to work a count-out win for Nakamura.
No upset for Goto, and Tanahashi should at least finish in a respectable position.
If Kashin had won, I would have spat nails.
With Yoshie lasting almost 10 minutes, I think it shows that Yoshie is someone they are high on, or at least is someone they don't want to totally squash.
The right finish, showing that the pupil is still better than the teacher.
This was a bit of an upset, but parity booking does that from time to time.
I guess parity booking to make sure no one person looks better than the rest is more important than getting people over so more money can be made.
After Day Five, this is how things stand:
Block A:
1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
2. Masahiro Chono [6]
3. Toshiaki Kawada [6]
4. Osamu Nishimura [5]
5. Minoru Suzuki [5]
6. Yuji Nagata [4]
7. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
8. Kendo Kashin [4]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [10]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [9]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [8]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [5]
5. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Toru Yano [2]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
Thanks to the ultra annoying parity booking, Block A is wide open, with five people in realistic contention for the two slots in the finals. That isn't the way I would have done it, but I guess New Japan wanted one Block to have a parity to it, and with Fujita in Block B, it had to be Block A. Block B sees Fujita on top, to no surprise, with Nakamura and Nakanishi fighting it out for the second spot in the finals. Tanahashi being so far down is a bit of a surprise, but I still put that down to the political fallout from his loss to Rikio at the NOAH Dome Show.
Day Six takes place tomorrow in Nagoya, with Goto v Yano (Goto to win), Nakamura v Yoshie (Nakamura to win), Nishimura v Nagata (draw), Chono v Kashin (Chono to win), Kawada v Suzuki (Kawada to win), Fujinami v Tenzan (Tenzan to win), and Fujita v Nakanishi (Fujita to win, but I suspect a potential surprise here).
If the matches go the way I predict, then Tenzan, Chono and Kawada will head Block A, keeping up the parity that New Japan are so fond of. Fujita, Nakamura and Nakanishi will remain in that order for Block B, which would keep Fujita and Nakamura on course to claim the Block B slots in the finals.
As far as predictions went, I was 3-4 for Day Five, which is my worst record so far.
HTQ on Day Seven of the G1 Climax Tournament
Day Seven saw hot matches, and some of the usual inane booking that seems to plague the G1 in recent years.
Yano getting some points via forfeit, as Makabe ends with no points due to his injury
Yoshie ending his tournament with a win, and Goto unable to score his traditional upset
And neither man could afford to be beaten because...? This years G1 has featured some really bad booking
Nakanishi ending his tournament with a strong win, and Tanahashi really falling short this year
This was a rematch of their Triple Crown meeting from last year, and a match I am looking forward to seeing
The expected result with Chono winning. Given his other results in this tournament, I'm guessing Chono had a big hand in the booking
This result isn't a surprise given the way Tenzan has been treated lately. New Japan seem to be making Tenzan into someone who they tease a big push with, and then pull back on at the last minute. Keep this up, and he'll forever be unover by the end of the year, if he isn't already
No surprise here, with Fujita both getting the win and doing so in a little over six minutes
The final standings after the group stage are:
Block A:
1. Masahiro Chono [10]
2. Toshiaki Kawada [10]
3. Yuji Nagata [8]
4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8]
5. Minoru Suzuki [6]
6. Kendo Kashin [5]
7. Osamu Nishimura [5]
8. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [14]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [11]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [10]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [7]
5. Yutaka Yoshie [6]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [4]
7. Toru Yano [4]
8. Togi Makabe [0]
This gives us semi-finals tomorrow of Shinsuke Nakamura versus Masahiro Chono and Kazuyuki Fujita versus Toshiaki Kawada, with the two winners meeting later on that evening. I'll go with a final of Fujita v Chono, with Fujita getting the win.
For predictions for Day Seven, I was 5-2, which isn't that bad.
HTQ on Day Four of the Fantasy G1 Climax Tournament
Day Four of the G1 at the Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium was headlined by a real dream match, which capped off a really strong card of action that saw both Blocks still remain relatively wide open.
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [6] beat Toru Yano [0] in (7:02) after a Hercules Cutter
Nakanishi continued his strong G1 showing with a win over Toru Yano, who is still without points
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [7] beat Tatsutoshi Goto [2] in (8:22) with a cross armbreaker
Nakamura outwrestled the veteran Goto en route to a submission win, as Goto was unable to pull off the upset
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] beat Kendo Kashin [0] in (13:55) after a TTD
Tenzan powered past Kashin, hitting a TTD to get the win, and leave Kashin firmly at the bottom of Block A
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuyuki Fujita [8] beat Togi Makabe [0] in (4:04) after a knee strike
Fujita scored another brutal victory, overpowering Makabe with heavy strikes before hitting Makabe with a big knee to the jaw which knocked Makabe out for the win, and left Makabe needing assistance to leave the ring
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [5] beat Yutaka Yoshie [4] in (12:17) with a dragon sleeper
Tanahashi overcame the girth of Yoshie with pure wrestling, and took Yoshie down with a dragon sleeper to get the win, and move ahead of Yoshie in Block A
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [4] beat Tatsumi Fujinami [2] in (12:48) after a Gotch piledriver
Suzuki and Fujinami engaged in a real mat war here, with both men showcasing their technical skills, and it was Suzuki who got the win after managing to counter a headstand from Fujinami into a Gotch piledriver
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Osamu Nishimura [4] beat Masahiro Chono [3] in (18:14) with a backslide
Nishimura pulled off a bit of an upset here, catching Chono off of a Yakuza kick attempt and managing to hold him down with his patented backslide for the three count
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Toshiaki Kawada [8] beat Yuji Nagata [5] in (25:47) after a running face kick
The main event of the night was the most heated match of the night. Nagata and Kawada held nothing back, and they had a real war of a match. The finish came off of dualling running kicks, when Kawada ducked a kick from Nagata, and hit a back heel kick, which stunned Nagata enough for Kawada to hit a pair of running face kicks, and get the pin
After four days of action, this is how things stand:
Block A:
1. Toshiaki Kawada [8]
2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
3. Yuji Nagata [5]
4. Osamu Nishimura [4]
5. Minoru Suzuki [4]
6. Masahiro Chono [3]
7. Tatsumi Fujinami [2]
8. Kendo Kashin [0]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [8]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [7]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [6]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [5]
5. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Togi Makabe [0]
8. Toru Yano [0]
In Block A, Dangerous K holds the lead, but Tenzan and Nagata are hot on his heels, with Nishimura and Suzuki still firmly in contention for now. In Block B, things are little closer. Fujita holds the lead in that block, but Nakamura, Nakanishi and Tanahashi are only a few points away, and could easily get the lead soon.
This is how Day Five looks, Wednesday in Shizuoka:
NJPW, 8/10/05 (SXW)
Twin Messe Shizuoka North Pavillion
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Togi Makabe
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toru Yano
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Kendo Kashin
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Osamu Nishimura
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Yutaka Yoshie vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Minoru Suzuki
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tatsutoshi Goto
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Masahiro Chono
With tomorrow off, the G1 resumes Wednesday, as the main event sees another dream match. Toshiaki Kawada faces Masahiro Chono, in what is sure to be yet another incredibly heated main event. A win for Chono would place him back in contention for Block A, while a win for Kawada would cement his top dog status. Hiroyoshi Tenzan faces Minoru Suzuki, and a win for Tenzan would keep his goal of a third consecutive G1 alive. Teacher meets Student as Tatsumi Fujinami wrestles his protege Osamu Nishimura. A win for Nishimura keeps him in the hunt for the G1 championship, while a win for Fujinami would keep his slender G1 hopes alive. Block B 'ace' Fujita meets the mighty girth of Yutaka Yoshie, in what might should literally be Fujita's biggest test of the G1.
What Will Eddie’s Death Ultimately Mean To Wrestling?
A man, a father, a loving husband who brought great love and compassion to his family, is dead. To his family he was everything and he gave them the kind of joy that you only get with true love and warmth. Eddie Guerrero was a tremendous human being who overcame incredible odds, fought back from death, and achieved the pinnacle of his profession, professional wrestling. That was Eddie Guerrero the person, and he will be missed by so many, but most of all he will be missed by his family.
But the point of this is not to talk about what Eddie’s death will mean to his family, because no article, no words, no book can truly convey the kind of loss that they are feeling right now. This is about what Eddie’s death will mean to wrestling.
Nothing.
Eddie’s death will ultimately mean nothing to wrestling. No, I’m not talking about the people in wrestling who knew Eddie and were friends with him. I’m talking about the business of wrestling, and, as sad as it is, as tragic as it is, Eddie’s death will mean absolutely nothing to wrestling. When Art Barr, Eddie’s best friend, died as a result of mixing drink and pills, it was sad, but it meant nothing to the wrestling business. When Brian Pillman, who also died in Minneapolis, and died to continued drug use despite having know heart problems, it meant nothing to the wrestling business. When Louie Spicolli, also a friend of Eddie’s, died from taking too many somas, it meant nothing to the wrestling business.
Why did those deaths, and the deaths of so many others like Rick Rude, Hercules, Curt Hennig, Larry Cameron, and even Eddie’s own near-death experience, end up meaning absolutely nothing to the wrestling business? Because despite all of the pain, misery and sadness that all of those deaths and many like them caused, the same roads that led to those deaths end up getting taken by wrestler’s time and time and time again. Even though the results of the excess and the partying and the drinking get seen for all to see, people in wrestling still end up taking that road, and inevitably some of them, a lot of them even, wind up at the same place as all those other names I mentioned; dead.
Why would someone keep doing all that stuff, the drinking, the pills, the steroids, if they have seen first hand what the effects of that insane lifestyle can be?
There are a lot of reasons. A lot of it comes from the sense of invincibility that wrestlers have, where they think they can’t get hurt and that even if they do get it hurt it was just a fluke and it wouldn’t happen again. A lot of it comes from flat out denial. A total refusal to acknowledge that the drugs drink and steroids had anything at all to do with the deaths. Even when Davey Boy Smiths autopsy showed that heavy long-term steroid use was a factor in his death, there were people who refused to accept that, and insisted that steroids had nothing to do with it. Can steroids kill you? If you abuse them they can, and Davey abused them, but even though they knew this, some people still refused to accept that steroids had anything to do with his death.
But the biggest reason, the underlying reason is far more simple, but very chilling. The wrestlers know all the side effects, they know the reactions, and they know what can happen when they take any one or even all of these substances and do so for an extended period of time. But the wrestlers take them anyway.
Why? Because it’s demanded of them. It’s demanded of them by promoters and by fans. The promoters demand it because they don’t think the fans will accept a top guy if he’s not got a certain physique, the kind that you can’t get without taking some kind of drug, and also because they themselves have the mindset that only big tough guys can be top guys. The fans demand it because they’ve been conditioned to accept that only big guys with that drug-aided physique can be top guys. The promoter knows what it takes to get that kind of body, and a lot of the fans also know what it takes to get that kind of body. They should, having watched big guy after big guy from their childhood drop dead in their 40s. But despite all of that, despite knowing what it takes to get that kind of body and knowing the consequences, neither the promoter nor the fan cares enough to do anything about it.
If the promoter cared enough to do anything about it, he would stop giving the top spots to guys that, has hard as they’ve worked out in the gym, have had to take drugs to get that freaky physique that the promoters have demanded and obsessed about for years. The promoter would stop determining the top spots based solely on size and muscle mass, and would base it on talent and ability. But he doesn’t. Why? Because he cares too much about making money and filling his bank account to care about the cost that the wrestlers he hires and employs go though to get the kind of look that demands and wants out of his top guys.
If the fans cares enough, they’d stop cheering and popping for every jacked up stiff that walks out from the curtain. They’d stop looking all awestruck at the latest generic looking stiff to get brought up from training about two years too soon. Instead, they’d start cheering and popping for the guys who have trained, who do work hard in the ring, and who can wrestle for more than five minutes before becoming exhausted. Once in a while the fans do act like this, and someone like Chris Masters, even with a non-stop nine month push, gets treated with silence. But that is the exception, and not the rule. For every Chris Masters you get a Batista, and all credit to Batista for working out, but we all know what he’s taking to get that type of physique. Batista has torn his triceps twice, maybe three times, and only days ago tore his lat, and badly. Those kinds of repeated tears don’t happen on someone who hasn’t overdeveloped their muscles, and we all know how, why and what Batista took to get to that point. Because the promoter wants it, and because the fans cheer for it, and because Batista knows he has to take those kinds of risks to get the top spot.
Vince McMahon doesn’t flat out tell his guys to take steroids and jack themselves up as large as they can. But when you look at the type of guy who consistently gets the top spot, and the type of guy that gets called up from developmental ahead of far more talented guys, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what you have to do, because you can’t do it naturally, to get that top spot or to get called up the main roster and make the kind of money you can really live off of. Take a look at The Dicks, the recent call up from OVW. They are far from ready for prime time, and yet here they are. It doesn’t take a genius to work out why The Dicks are here, and why Johnny Jeter, Matt Capotelli, and other more talented and more ready, if maybe not totally ready, guys are still toiling away in OVW.
It’s because the promoter demands it. It’s because the fans, fans like you, demand it.
So, when the next Eddie Guerrero happens, and you’re asking why it happened, do two things; take a look at Vince McMahon, and then take a look in the mirror. Because you’ll be looking at the two main causes, whether you can accept that or not.
Sometimes, so-called ‘smart fans’ get so caught up in being smart, that they become so very dumb, and lose sight of the point in being a wrestling fan in the first place. The point of being a fan is to have fun with what you’re watching, enjoy what you’re watching, and have enough fun and enjoyment that you come back the next time to have more fun and enjoyment. It’s such a simple concept that it flies right over the heads of some ‘smart’ fans, who are so busy trying to be smart that they forget about actually being fans. They get so caught up in being ‘smart’ and showing everyone else how smart they are, that the only thing they show people is how dumb they are, and how they’ve missed the point in being a fan.
Try being a fan again. You might like it more than being ‘smart. And you might actually become smart once again.
