HTQ on Day Five of the Fantasy G1 Climax Tourny
HTQ on Day Five of the Fantasy G1 Climax Tournament
Day Five of the G1 Climax Tournament took place in Shuzuoka today, and it saw a few upsets, and another heated main event, as Toshiaki Kawada and Masahiro Chono faced off for the first time ever.
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Manabu Nakanishi [8] beat Togi Makabe [0] in (9:15) after a Hercules Cutter
Nakanishi giving his G1 hopes a big boost with a win over Makabe putting him further up the table
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [9] beat Toru Yano [0] in (8:56) with a shining triangle
Nakamura disposed of Yano with relative ease, ending Yano's brief comeback with a shining triangle, which got the submission win
3. G1 Climax - Block A: Kendo Kashin [2] beat Yuji Nagata [5] in (13:00) with a flying armbar
The first upset of the night as Kendo Kashin caught Nagata off-guard with a flying armbar to get his first win of the G1, and Nagata's G1 hopes taking a real hit
4. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuyuki Fujita [10] beat Yutaka Yoshie [4] in (4:42) after a knee strike
Yoshie's girth did him no favors against the brutal Fujita, who assaulted him from the start, and knocked Yoshie down for the easy three count with a brutal knee to the jaw. Yoshie needed help leaving the ring, as Fujita's brutal style claimed another victim
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Tatsumi Fujinami [4] beat Osamu Nishimura [4] in (12:56) with a ground cobra twist
Another upset here as the Teacher Fujinami proved that he could still teach the student a few things, as he was able to take Nishimura down with his patented ground cobra twist and gain a popular, if unexpected, victory
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Minoru Suzuki [6] beats Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] in (17:52) after three Gotch piledrivers
The second upset in a row and the third of the whole night, as Minoru Suzuki proved he wasn't someone to ever rule out with a stunning win over Hiroyoshi Tenzan, though it took three Gotch piledrivers to finally put Tenzan down for the count
7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi [7] beat Tatsutoshi Goto [2] in (9:37) with a dragon sleeper
Tananshi put his G1 back in good stead with a win over the veteran Goto, who has been unable to pull off one of his trademark upsets this year
8. G1 Climax - Block A: Toshiaki Kawada [10] beat Masahiro Chono [3] in (18:59) after a high kick
Another dream match in the G1, and this one was just as heated as Kawada v Nagata. Kawada and Chono went all out as Chono looked to be the one to hand Kawada his first loss in the G1, but it was not to be as Kawada fired off with a brutal shotgun lariat that saw Chono fall to one knee, and Kawada followed up with a precision high kick to the back of Chono's head and Kawada won his second dream match in a row.
After five days of action, the Block standings look like this:
Block A:
1. Toshiaki Kawada [10]
2. Minoru Suzuki [6]
3, Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]
4. Yuji Nagata [5]
5. Osamu Nishimura [4]
6. Tatsumi Fujinami [4]
7. Masahiro Chono [3]
8. Kendo Kashin [2]
Block B:
1. Kazuyuki Fujita [10]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [9]
3. Manabu Nakanishi [8]
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [7]
5. Yutaka Yoshie [4]
6. Tatsutoshi Goto [2]
7. Togi Makabe [0]
8. Toru Yano [0]
Toshiaki Kawada stands firmly atop Block A, and with only two days of group action left, seems a lock to get a spot in the finals. The battle for second place is close, with Minoru Suzuki and Hiroyoshi Tenzan both on six points, and Nagata on five points. Any one of those three could gain the second place spot, so it's a really close race. In Block B, Kazuyuki Fujita leads, but he is by no means certain to win the block or even gain a spot in the finals, as Shinsuke Nakamura, Manabu Nakanishi and Hiroshi Tanahshi are all within three points of him, and any two of them could steal the first and second place spots in Block B, and put the IWGP champion out of the G1 finals stage.
Day Six of the G1 takes place tomorrow in Aichi, and it will make the G1 picture look more clearer.
NJPW, 8/11/05 (Samurai! TV)
Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Tatsutoshi Goto vs. Toru Yano
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yutaka Yoshie
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Masahiro Chono vs. Kendo Kashin
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Osamu Nishimura
7. G1 Climax - Block A: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Minoru Suzuki
8. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Manabu Nakanishi
The main event of Kazuyuki Fujita v Manabu Nakanishi will play a big part in how Block B could end up. A win for Fujita would assure him of a place in the finals, while a win for Nakanishi will put him in first or second place along with Fujita, depending on how Shinsuke Nakamura fares against Yutaka Yoshie. Toshiaki Kawada faces Minoru Suzuki. A win for Kawada would guarantee his place in the finals, while a win for Suzuki would almost ensure his place in the finals, if other results go his way. Yuji Nagata takes on Osamu Nishiura, and a win for Nagata would give him a great chance of scoring the second place in Block A and a spot in the finals, while a win for Nishimura would theoretically make it possible for him to get the second place spot, but that would still be unlikely. The legend Tatsumi Fujinami takes on Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and if Fujinami can upset Tenzan, he too would have a theoretical if unlikely chance at the second place spot. A win for Tenzan would almost assure him of the second place spot, depending on the result of Kawada v Suzuki. Masahiro Chono faces Kendo Kashin, and with neither man able to make it to the finals, this match is more about making sure they don't finish at the bottom of the table. Hiroshi Tanahashi faces Togi Makabe, and if Tanahashi can avoid the upset then he will keep his hopes alive of a berth in the finals. The action is rounded off with Tatsutoshi Goto v Toru Yano, with at least one man guaranteed of gaining their first points of the tournament.
2 Comments
Recommended Comments