HTQ on Day Three of the Fantasy G1 Climax Tourny
HTQ on Day Three of the Fantasy G1 Climax Tournament
Osaka hosted its second consecutive card of action in the G1 Climax Tournament, as Day Three saw a great main event, and some very heated undercard matches.
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Tatsutoshi Goto [2] beat Togi Makabe [0] in (10:11) after a backdrop hold
The veteran Goto gained his first points of the tournament, with a victory over Makabe, who has yet to gain any points.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [4] beat Yutaka Yoshie [4] in (13:55) after a Hercules Cutter
Nakanishi handed Yoshie his first loss of the G1 with a Hercules Cutter, and both men now have four points each.
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Toshiaki Kawada [6] beat Kendo Kashin [0] in (12:50) after a high kick
The self styled shooter putting forth another strong effort, but Kashin came up short again, as Dangerous K powered out of a cross armbreaker, and struck Kashin hard in the back of the head with a high kick to gain the pinfall victory.
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuyuki Fujita [6] beat Toru Yano [0] in (2:11) after a knee strike
Fujita wasted no time in disposing of young Toru Yano, destroying him with heavy strikes and knees before nailing him sqaure in the jaw with a big knee strike, which knocked Yano out, and getting the win. Yano, like others before him who have faced Fujita in the G1, needed help leaving the ring.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] beat Osamu Nishimura [2] in (18:35) after a TTD
Tenzan again in a rematch from the 2003 G1, as he and Osamu Nishimura battled each other in a keenly fought contest. Mr MUGA~ gave Tenzan a hard match, but Tenzan came out on top, using his TTD to put Nishimura down.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono [3] beat Minoru Suzuki [2] in (14:56) after a shining Yakuza kick
The match I'm most looking forward to seeing just for the atmosphere, as two of the best heels in wrestling went at it in this one. Heel tactics were in full effect here, with both men giving the referee cause to warn them repeatedly during the match. In the end Chono picked up the win, after a back heel kick to the groin left Suzuki vulnerable to the shining Yakuza kick.
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata [5] beat Tatsumi Fujinami [2] in (12:44) after a spinning heel kick
The legend Fujinami gave another great performance here, showing that he could still match skills with the younger talent, but Nagata was still too strong for Fujinami, and a stiff looking spinning heel kick levelled Fujinami and was enough to get the win for Nagata.
8. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [5] v Hiroshi Tanahashi [3] went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired
The big main event was a rematch from January's big Dome event, as Shinsuke Nakamura took on tag team championship partner Hiroshi Tanahashi. The Osaka crowd started quietly for this one, but they soon got into it as Nakamura and Tanahashi pulled out all the stops, and wrestled a match that some were saying exceeded their match in January. The match was very even, as Nakamura and Tanahashi proved to be equal to the challenge of the other and neither man could seem to gain any real advantage. Nakamura and Tanahashi were fighting over a superplex, and when the bell rang to signify the time limit expiring, they finally fell succumbed to exhaustion, and fell to the mat, showing how hard they had fought. The Osaka crowd gave them a standing ovation, and the tag team champions shook hands after the match, and left the ring together.
After three days of action, the Blocks in the G1 Climax Tournament look like this:
Block A:
1. Toshiaki Kawada [6]
2. Yuji Nagata [5]
3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4]
4. Masahiro Chono [3]
5. Osamu Nishimura [2]
6. Minoru Suzuki [2]
7. Tatsumi Fujinami [2]
8. Kendo Kashin [0]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [6]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [5]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [4]
4. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi [3]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Togi Makabe [0]
8. Toru Yano [0]
Toshiaki Kawada has the lead in Block A, but Yuji Nagata and Hiroyoshi Tenzan are both close behind him, and Masahiro Chono could still be a potential contender as well. Over in Block B, Kazuyuki Fujita is on top, with Shinsuke Nakamura and Manabu Nakanishi and Yutaka Yoshie all within striking distance of the top spot. After Day Four, things may become a lot clearer.
NJPW, 8/8/05 (SXW)
Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Toru Yano
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Tatsutoshi Goto
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Kendo Kashin
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yutaka Yoshie
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Minoru Suzuki
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Osamu Nishimura vs. Masahiro Chono
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Toshiaki Kawada
Day Four is headlined by a dream match, as Yuji Nagata faces Toshiaki Kawada for the very first time. A win by Nagata would put him atop Block A, but a win by Kawada would firmly place him as Block A leader. Osamu Nishimura takes on Masahiro Chono, with a win by Nishimura almost essential to keep his G1 hopes alive, while a win for Chono would keep him very much in the hunt. Tatsumi Fujinami battles Minoru Suzuki, in what could prove to be the most interesting match of the night. In Block B, Kazuyuki Fujita would seem to have an easy match against Togi Makabe, but this is the G1, and never count anything out. Shinsuke Nakamura takes on Tatsutoshi Goto, and if Goto pulls off one of the upsets he is infamous for, then Nakamura could see his G1 quest hit a big hurdle. Manabu Nakanishi takes on Toru Yano and Yutaka Yoshie takes on Hiroshi Tanahashi, and wins by either man would keep their G1 hopes alive, though a win by Tanahashi would give his G1 the boost it really needs to get going. Elsewhere, Hiroyoshi Tenzan takes on Kendo Kashin, which should be very heated, given that Kashin left New Japan three years ago with Tenzan's best known tag team partner, Satoshi Kojima, and Tenzan isn't one to forget something like that.
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