Wednesdaymania 233: G1 Climax 29 in Sapporo

The main matches of B-Block Night 2/Night 4 overall

I didn't watch this whole card, sadly - though I'm actually going to go back and watch the matches I skipped! I just didn't have the hours to spend and watch it at the time.

So, this was the second night of B-Block matches, the fourth night of the G1 Climax tournament, and it took place at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center in Sapporo. It's a beautiful arena, and our commentary team were Kevin Kelley and Rocky Romero, who are just fantastic the whole night through (or at least, throughout the matches I watched!). These matches took place on July 15, 2019.


Toru Yano vs Shingo Takagi

People give Yano a lot of guff for being a comedy character surrounded by tough guys, but I kinda dig him. Last year, he was all about fair play, but this year, he's completely insane. I mean, he's named all the turnbuckles and he uses them all as weapons whenever he can. I find it hilarious that a bunch of muscle-bound dudes are selling so hardcore against a bunch of vinyl upholstered pillows, but hey, I'm not a wrestler.

Shingo Takagi is a beast, but he's a beast with a bone to pick with Yano. Shingo is from Hokkaido/Sapporo. Yano is from Tokyo. Somehow, Yano is the goodwill ambassador to Hokkaido instead of Shingo Takagi. As one might expect, the Dragon is somewhat bitter about this and uses that rage to his advangtage throughout the match.

Early in the match, Yano grabbed a turnbuckle that Rocky told us was named "Mary" and bludgeoned Shingo with it. Later on, Yano even knocked a ref down and tried to get Shingo Takagi caught with a chair that Yano had introduced to the ring - thankfully, Bushi was a bro and showed up to distract the ref juuuuuuuuust long enough for justice to be done and Shingo Takagi pinned Toru Yano at 6:16.

This is a fun, painless match with just enough comedy to be funny and just enough wrestling to still feel legitimate. Definitely give it a watch!


Juice Robinson vs Hirooki Goto

So, Juice is much more intense this year than he has ever been. He's much quieter, verbally, but he's just as flamboyant as ever in his entrances and in-ring action. Goto, on the other hand, mostly gets teased by the commentary team telling him he should get a smaller LA Dojo t-shirt to "show off his guns".

Don't let that fool you about this match, however. This one was awesome!

Goto has learned how to kick so well that I can actually forgive him for being the wrestling equivalent of bran cereal, and he absolutely punishes Juice for most of this match. Juice sells like a starfish at one point, laying completely splayed in the middle of the ring after a particularly brutal exchange with Goto, who got so exhausted trying to beat down the indomitable spirit of Juice Robinson that he could not capitalize on the moment. Punches were exchanged to the tops of each other's heads (stop that) and headbutts were landed (STOP THAT) until Juice finally managed to land a blow from the Right Hand of God (his left hand) and deliver a Pump Friction to Goto to win in 12:23.

This match felt like it was the absolute perfect length, and I would watch it again in a heartbeat! It's an absolute contender for Match of the Night!


Jeff Cobb vs Jon Moxley

What a pair of literal beasts. Moxley came in through the crowd with Shota Umino carrying his title. He's apparently nicknamed Shota "Shooter", and I hope he takes that and runs with it when he goes on Excursion (when the Young Lions go out into the world to hone their craft), because "Shooter Umino" sounds awesome.

The match devolved into a brawl pretty quickly, ending up with Jon and Jeff out on the ramp doing terrifying spots and generally looking incredible. The ref mainly looked annoyed that they didn't care what he was telling them to do. When they eventually did get back into the ring, the match became a big beefy power move match! They would interrupt each other's strikes and power moves with more strikes and power moves and it was a joy to watch!

Jeff Cobb, by the way, has possibly the most beautiful standing moonsault in the business.

And Jon Moxley sells like he's got a trunk full of vacuums - that is to say, he sells really nicely!

In the end, Moxley hits a Draping Deathrider DDT off the center rope on Cobb and pins him for the win at 8:54.

I could've used another five minutes of these two, but that might be unfair to them both, since they looked gleefully spent by the end. They knew they'd had a fantastic match.


Tomohiro Ishii vs Jay White

Sometimes you just want to see a Stone Pitbull beat a Switchblade like a piñata. If that's the case with you, then watch this match. It's all about Ishii proving that he's not all brawn and out thinking both Gedo (who Rocky continuously refers to as "Fredo") and Jay White. The match is brutal, exciting, and really, really well executed.

I both love and hate Jay White’s beard – on the one hand, it makes him look less like a kid – on the other hand, I kinda liked that he was a megaheel with a baby face.

Ishii gave Jay a grand tour of all of his most devastating moves, which just made me appreciate even more what a generous salesman Jay is. He made it look like Ishii was actually killing him.

In a shocking turn of events, it was Ishii and not a Bullet Club member who wound up stealing the timekeeper's chair and hurling it at Jay, who was collapsed against the barricade and barely got away in time. This match was full of terrifying moments like that.

Jay, despite being pummeled within an inch of his life, still managed to be a cocky little dork by refusing to pin Ishii properly, which meant that Ishii was always able to easily kick out and continue to punish the young man.

In spit of a horrifyingly vicious DDT that saw Ishii balanced on the top of his head for a full two seconds or more, the Stone Pitbull managed to get back up and have a blistering exchange of half-formed finishers with Jay White until he threw the Switchblade down in a truly brutal Brainbuster for the win at 19:13.

This was another match that could have been Match of the Night, and if you're going to watch it, make sure you are prepared for a true battering of both men!

Final Match:
Taichi vs Naito

You read that right.

It was about what you'd expect, but horribly long. This match took 21:01 to finish, and it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

What the heck did Naito do?

Why did Taichi win?

Ugh.

Bleh.


Go Enjoy Something (especially after ending on that note :| )
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