Night Ten Recap of the 2016 NJPW G1 Climax

Night 10 of the 2016 G1 Climax sounded very impressive on paper with three exciting matchups. I was also very excited to see Michael Elgin and Kenny Omega out there again after they tore the house down on night eight.

Block B Match- YOSHI-HASHI vs Katsuhiko Nakajima

YOSHI-HASHI and Katsuhiko Nakajima started off night 10 very hot and put on a very entertaining bout. Nakajima kicked off the match by knocking HASHI off the top rope with a spinning heel kick.

With HASHI now on the outside Nakajima hit a powerful penalty kick to the chest of his opponent. Nakajima then effectively used the barricade by wrapping HASHI’s injured shoulder in it and wrenching at it.

Nakajima then continued to work on the injured arm of HASHI and eventually hit a big boot to the face of HASHI in the corner. He then landed a diving missile dropkick off the top rope to his opponent.

HASHI came back in the bout by hitting a DDT and then his vintage somersault neck breaker. He also hung Nakajima on the ropes and hit a running dropkick to the back of Nakajima’s neck.

Nakajima then got in some more offence by hitting a superkick, a belly to back suplex, and then a big dragon suplex. HASHI bounced back by catching Nakajima in a tombstone position and then dropping him in a shoulder breaker.

These men then traded forearms until HASHI hit a superkick and then a big powerbomb to his opponent. HASHI went for a senton, but Nakajima got his knees up and then hit three massive superkicks to the jaw of HASHI.

Nakajima then went for his brainbuster, but HASHI reversed hitting a mule kick and then a lariat. HASHI then finally hit the Karma for the win and six points in the tournament.

Winner: YOSHI-HASHI (6pts)

Rating: 7.5/10

Block B Match- Michael Elgin vs Yuji Nagata

Yuji Nagata and Michael Elgin were out there to hurt one another and they showed just how hard they can hit at the beginning of this matchup. The men kicked off the match by throwing forearms, big boots, and lariats until one of Elgin’s lariats knocked Nagata to the outside.

On the outside of the ring, Elgin drove Nagata into the barricade, laid Nagata on the apron, and then hit a big leg drop over Nagata’s throat. Elgin then drove Nagata face-first into his knee and then bounced off the ropes, but Nagata caught him with a knee lift.

Nagata then laid into Elgin with a plethora of different kicks, he hit kicks to the chest, a big boot to the face, and also a spinning heel kick. He then hit an exploder suplex and then even more kicks.

Elgin came back into the match with an enzigiri, and then a big spinning slide slam to Nagata. These men then traded many blows until Nagata hit his belly to back suplex, but he could not get over for a pin.

Nagata was then able to land an avalanche exploder suplex from the top rope for a two count. He then went for a knee in the corner, but was caught by Elgin and got thrown into a buckle bomb.

Elgin then went for the finish, but Nagata reversed into his armbar; however, Elgin made it to the ropes. These men then battled on the apron until Elgin hit a Death Valley driver, dropping Nagata on the “hardest part of the ring.”

Elgin then hit a German suplex and went for a big splash, but Nagata rolled out of the way. However, Elgin maintained control, he hit a lariat, a buckle bomb, and then finally his twisting sit-out powerbomb. This gave Elgin another win in the G1 Climax.

Winner: Michael Elgin (6pts)

Rating: 7/10

Block B Match- Toru Yano vs Katsuyori Shibata

The next match on the card between Toru Yano and Katsuyori Shibata actually pained me to watch. It was easily the biggest joke of the tournament by far and it lasted only one minute and five seconds.

Shibata quickly hit a few strikes and then a big hesitation dropkick to Yano in the corner in the first 15 seconds of the match, and then it went downhill. Shibata got hung up on the rope, and Yano took off the turnbuckle pad.

He hit Shibata on the exposed turnbuckle, hit a low blow, and then got a roll-up for two. Shibata then went for his sleeper, but Yano swept his legs and fell on him in a pinning position getting the three count. A huge upset victory for Toru Yano here.

Winner: Toru Yano

Rating: 1/10

Block B Match- EVIL vs Kenny Omega

MATCH OF THE NIGHT

Kenny Omega and EVIL put on a fantastic match, that kicked off very nicely. In the first minute of the match, EVIL tried to bring a chair in the ring, but Omega hit a massive jumping baseball slide that looked so devastating and drove EVIL right into the barricade.

Omega then tried to use the barricade as a springboard, but he was met with a chair to the ribs in mid-air. EVIL then hit a suplex to Omega on the ground, and then a fisherman suplex dropping Omega on a stood-up chair, which made this look very painful.

Back in the ring EVIL hit a rolling neck breaker and then another fisherman suplex. Omega ended up reversing EVIL’s offence and hit rolling firemen’s carry and then a moonsault from the second rope.

Omega then attempted his float over bulldog, but EVIL caught him and hit a belly to back suplex. Omega later hit his classic dragon suplex, but EVIL came back with an arm trapped belly to back suplex.

EVIL then attempted his STO, but was reversed and got hit with two V-triggers back to back. Omega then lifted him for gut wrench sit-out powerbomb and got a two count out of it.

He then went for another V-trigger, but was reversed into a German suplex and then a big lariat. EVIL then hit his move that is from a firemen’s carry position into a sit-out powerbomb.

He then went for the STO again, but this time he got a knee to the face and then Omega hit a poisonrana. Omega then hit a third V-trigger, and then the one-winged angel for his third win of the tournament.

Winner: Kenny Omega (6pts)

Rating: 7.5/10

Block B Match- Tomoaki Honma vs Tetsuya Naito

The main event for night 10 of the 2016 G1 Climax was a battle between Tomoaki Honma and Tetsuya Naito. Naito had been doing great this whole tournament, but I did not love this match.

The match started with Naito doing damage to the knee of Honma, landing dropkicks and then wrapping his knee in the barricade and hitting a jumping dropkick into it. Naito then tried for the count-out win, by taking Honma’s knee out at the top of the ramp; luckily Honma made it back to the ring.

The next few minutes of the match would be extremely slow, with Naito working on the knee and sitting in two submission holds. Honma then came back in the match, hitting a suplex and then finally one of his famous falling headbutts.

However, Naito then went right back at Honma’s knee and got him into the corner. Naito then his classic corner sequence where he hits the boot while jumping over the rope sweeps the leg and then leaps back in with a dropkick to the chest.

Honma then stopped some of this offence by hitting a back elbow and then a jumping headbutt to Naito. He then hit a diving headbutt from the second rope, and then a very devastating brainbuster that dropped Naito right on his head.

Honma then went to the top rope, but he was stopped and Naito hit a big hurricanrana from the top rope. Naito then hit a modified side slam where he had Honma’s arm trapped behind him. Naito then locked in a kneebar for a solid couple minutes until Honma stomped his way out.

Honma then got more offence in hitting a big shoulder block and then dropping Naito with a reverse piledriver. He then went for his finishing diving headbutt, but Naito rolled out of the way at the perfect time.

Naito then hit many forearm shots and he also hit a reverse neck breaker to Honma. Finally, he landed the Destino on Honma for the win in the matchup.

Winner: Tetsuya Naito (6pts)

Rating: 7/10

Night 10 of the tournament was a fairly average show overall and there was nothing too special. The main event was good in a way, it was just way too slow for my personal preference.