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.

G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [4] beat Togi Makabe [0] by forfeit.

Yano getting some points via forfeit, as Makabe ends with no points due to his injury

G1 Climax - Block B: Yutaka Yoshie [6] beat Tatsutoshi Goto [4] (8:22) with a diving body press.

Yoshie ending his tournament with a win, and Goto unable to score his traditional upset

G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [6] vs. Kendo Kashin [5] went to a double countout (12:17).

And neither man could afford to be beaten because...? This years G1 has featured some really bad booking

G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [10] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [7] (13:50) with the Hercules  Cutter.

Nakanishi ending his tournament with a strong win, and Tanahashi really falling short this year

G1 Climax - Block A: Toshiaki Kawada [10] beat Osamu Nishimura [5] (17:00) with a Stretch Plum.

This was a rematch of their Triple Crown meeting from last year, and a match I am looking forward to seeing

G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [10] beat Tatsumi Fujinami [4] (11:08) with a Shining Yakuza  kick.

The expected result with Chono winning. Given his other results in this tournament, I'm guessing Chono had a big hand in the booking

G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [8] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] (16:55) with a backdrop hold.

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

G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuyuki Fujita [14] beat Shinsuke Nakamura (6:25) with a knee kick.

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.