Night Eighteen Recap of the 2016 NJPW G1 Climax

The final night of G1 Climax 26 is now upon us, and it was time to find out who from Block B was heading to the final. Block B was down to four men potentially heading to the final, and those men were Tetsuya Naito, Kenny Omega, Katsuyori Shibata, and Michael Elgin.

Block B Match- Yuji Nagata vs Tomoaki Honma

The opening match on the show did not matter towards final standings, so the two veterans, Tomoaki Honma and Yuji Nagata were battling for bragging rights. The match began when Honma took a cheap shot, slapping Nagata across the face when he was not ready.

Nagata did not take well to the slap and responded with an even stronger slap of his own and then a spinning heel kick to Honma. Nagata now worked on the injured ribs of Honma, he removed the tape on them and started hitting knees and kicks.

Nagata then hit Honma with three strong roundhouse kicks to the chest and then tried to go for a suplex. Honma was able to block the suplex and deliver one of his own, he then landed a forearm and running bulldog combo.

Honma then hit a seated blockbuster and then bounced off the ropes, but Nagata caught him with a knee lift. Nagata now hit a rope hung twisting neck breaker followed with an exploder suplex.

Honma was able to get right back up from the suplex and hit a discus clothesline on Nagata. Both men then traded strikes and chops until Nagata was able to lock in his signature armbar.

Honma broke the hold by reaching the ropes and then Nagata hit him with an enzigiri to the head. Nagata now hit a belly to back suplex, and then went for a second but got blocked and Honma bounced off the ropes to hit a leaping headbutt.

Honma then went to the top rope, but Nagata stopped him up there and landed an avalanche exploder suplex. Nagata now hit a running knee in the corner and then both men traded some strong slaps to the face.

Nagata then hit a German suplex and then went for his finishing belly to back suplex, but Honma stopped it in mid-air. Honma now hit another leaping headbutt, and he followed that by hitting a reverse piledriver.

Honma now went to the top rope and landed his diving headbutt on to Nagata to get the win. Honma was able to finish the tournament on a positive note.

Winner: Tomoaki Honma (6pts)

Rating: 7/10

Block B Match- Toru Yano vs YOSHI-HASHI

Next on the card was another match with pointless results between the horrible Toru Yano and YOSHI-HASHI. The match started with both men trading strikes until Yano started with his cheap tricks.

It started with Yano trying to take the turnbuckle pad off, but HASHI caught him with a double axe handle. He then chopped Yano across the chest and hung him on the ropes, he then ran hitting a dropkick to the back of Yano.

Yano was then able to catch HASHI off guard by pulling on his hair and then taking off the turnbuckle pad. He then waited for HASHI to run at him and he moved out of the way, this made HASHI hit the exposed turnbuckle.

Both men then traded shots on each other with the turnbuckle pads, and then Yano was able to throw HASHI into the referee. Yano now landed a low-blow and rolled HASHI up for the dirty win.

Winner: Toru Yano (10pts)

Rating: 2/10

Block B Match- Katsuyori Shibata vs EVIL

The next match was between EVIL and Katsuyori Shibata, and if Shibata wanted to keep his slim hopes of making the finals alive, he needed this win. Shibata tried to end the match quickly, he started with a big boot, a belly to back suplex, and then he had a missed attempt at the PK.

EVIL then rolled to the outside to take a breather, and when Shibata joined him there, he threw him into the barricade. EVIL then wrapped Shibata’s previously injured arm in the barricade and kicked the arm, he then added insult to injury by hitting the arm with a steel chair.

EVIL now wrapped the chair around the arm of Shibata and drove him into the ring post. Back in the ring EVIL continued his attack, with elbows to the arm and some wrenching holds as well.

Shibata eventually started absorbing the hits from EVIL and he kept begging for more. Shibata then responded with a stiff forearm to take EVIL down and then a kick right to the chest.

Shibata now landed his back-to-back corner running big boots, and then when EVIL sat in the corner Shibata hit the beautiful hesitation dropkick. Shibata then hit a float over arm trapped suplex and then locked in an abdominal stretch.

EVIL made it to the ropes, and then both men traded some powerful kicks and forearms. Shibata then got the upper hand by hitting EVIL with his own finisher, the STO.

Shibata then delivered a double under hook suplex followed with a kick to the chest of a kneeling EVIL. After some more strikes, Shibata locked in the sleeper hold on EVIL, but EVIL found a way out.

EVIL grabbed the injured arm of Shibata and slammed it over his own shoulder to hyperextend it. He then elbowed his way completely out of the hold and then hit an arm trapped belly to back suplex on Shibata.

EVIL then hit a big boot to Shibata’s arm and then three very powerful headbutts to the shoulder, and then a discus forearm. EVIL then landed one more strike to Shibata’s arm and then a half-nelson suplex.

EVIL now hit a clothesline, and then lifted Shibata to hit the fireman’s carry to powerbomb sequence. EVIL then was able to get Shibata up for the Everything is Evil STO to win and eliminate Shibata from the G1.

Winner: EVIL (8pts)

Rating: 7/10

Block B Match- Katsuhiko Nakajima vs Michael Elgin

Now was a battle between Katsuhiko Nakajima and Michael Elgin, and just like Shibata earlier Elgin needs to win to keep his finals hopes alive. The match begins with Elgin landing strikes and Nakajima landing kicks until Elgin landed a shot to take down Nakajima.

Elgin then landed a power slam and then went for a clothesline, but Nakajima dodged and sent Elgin to the outside. Elgin then got on the apron only to be booted in the face back to the outside.

Nakajima then went on the apron to run and kick Elgin directly in his chest, and he then threw Elgin into the barricade shoulder first. He then wrapped Elgin’s arm in the barricade and hit a big boot to the wrapped-up arm.

Nakajima then drove Elgin’s arm into the ring post, and then back in the ring he landed some kicks to Elgin’s injured arm. Nakajima then locked in an armbar to Elgin, but Elgin quickly scurried to the ropes.

Nakajima then went for a boot to Elgin in the corner, but Elgin blocked and then German suplex Nakajima into the corner. Elgin now hit two running clotheslines in the corner and then a military press into a power slam.

Elgin then went for a kick, but Nakajima blocked and now attacked the knee of Elgin. He hit two dragon screws and then a dropkick to Elgin’s knee; he followed that with a big boot to Elgin in the corner.

Nakajima now landed a kick to the chest of Elgin and then went to the top rope to hit a diving missile dropkick. Nakajima then hit a spinning heel kick to Elgin on the top rope and then a devastating belly to back suplex.

Nakajima then went for a superkick, but Elgin dodged it and hit a German suplex. Elgin then hit a clothesline and went for a second one, but Nakajima caught him with a dropkick to the face.

Nakajima then hit a PK and went for a brainbuster, but Elgin reversed into two suplexes for himself. He then placed Nakajima on the top rope and tried to join him there, but Nakajima knocked him off.

Nakajima then went for another diving missile dropkick, but Elgin caught him in the air and turned it into a powerbomb. Elgin then went to the top rope and went for the diving splash, but Nakajima rolled out of the way.

Both men then began trading forearms until Elgin landed a flurry of forearms and then the final one looked like it knocked the taste out of Nakajima’s mouth. Elgin then landed a clothesline that turned Nakajima inside out and then placed Nakajima on the top rope to hit an avalanche falcon’s arrow.

Elgin then landed a buckle bomb to Nakajima and then went for his finishing powerbomb, but Nakajima reversed into a sunset flip for a two count. Nakajima then hit two superkicks to Elgin, and then Elgin responded with a discus forearm and then spinning back fist.

Elgin now went for another clothesline, but Nakajima blocked and hit a roundhouse kick followed by a superkick. Nakajima then lifted Elgin to hit the brainbuster to get the win in this amazing match and eliminate Elgin.

Winner: Katsuhiko Nakajima (10pts)

Rating: 9/10

Block B Match- Kenny Omega vs Tetsuya Naito

MATCH OF THE NIGHT

Now it all came down to the main event between Kenny Omega and Tetsuya Naito, if Omega won, he was in the finals and Naito needed a win or draw to advance. At the beginning of the match Naito was toying with Omega and went into his pose of Tranquilo, but Omega spit in the face of Naito.

Naito returned the favour with some spit of his own, and then both men traded strikes until Naito hit Omega in the knee with a dropkick. Naito then landed some stomps to Omega’s knee in the corner and then drove Omega’s knee into the mat.

Omega stopped the attack on his knee with a thumb to the eye and then throwing Naito to the outside. Omega then tried to springboard to the outside, but Naito moved out of the way and then hit another dropkick to the knee of Omega.

Omega began coming back in the match by driving Naito into the barricade twice and then body slamming the spine first on the edge of the ring. Back in the ring Omega dropped Naito with a brainbuster on to his knee.

Omega then began wrenching at the neck of Naito and then hit many elbows to the collarbone area of Naito. Omega then hit a neck breaker and then three combo chops to knock Naito down.

Omega then hit his rolling fireman’s carry, but as he hopped to the second rope for the moonsault his knee began to give out. Naito then ran with a dropkick to Omega’s knee-knocking him off the second rope.

Naito then hit a back elbow and then a dropkick to the face of a seated Omega, he followed that with a neck breaker. He then hit my favourite sequence of his with the corner leg sweep float over and then leaping back into the ring with a dropkick to the chest of Omega.

Naito then landed an atomic drop and then yet another dropkick to the knee of Omega. He then locked in a figure-four leg lock on Omega, he was on a personal mission to destroy Omega’s knee.

Fortunately, Omega made it to the ropes and then Naito ran at him in the corner, but Omega got his feet up. Omega then landed his running leap over bulldog, he then dropkicked Naito off the apron into the steel barricade.

Omega then power bombed Naito over the barricade through one of the commentator’s tables. He then springboarded from inside the ring with a flip on to Naito all the way in the crowd, this was absolutely breathtaking.

Then as both men were heading back to the ring, Omega stopped Naito and hit him with a dragon suplex on the ring apron. He followed that with another dragon suplex back in the ring and then went for the gut-wrench powerbomb.

Naito was able to block the powerbomb and turn it into a spike DDT to stop Omega’s attack. Both men then began trading forearms until Omega caught Naito with a V-trigger, but Naito responded from that with a tornado DDT.

Naito then placed Omega on the top rope for an avalanche hurricanrana, but Omega rolled through on the mat for a two-count roll-up. Naito hopped back up and hit another dropkick to Omega’s knee, a wheelbarrow kick, and then an arm trapped side slam.

Naito then went for a German suplex, but Omega flipped out of it and hit Naito with a clothesline turning him inside out. Omega then hit another V-trigger and then went for the One-Winged Angel, but Naito reversed into a kneebar.

After almost 30 seconds in the hold, Omega was able to make it to the ropes, but Naito followed the hold by dropping Omega’s knee on his own knee. Naito then went for the same move, but Omega hit a knee to the face and then a German suplex.

Omega then landed a gut-wrench powerbomb and then another V-trigger to the face of Naito. Omega now went for the finish again, but this time Naito reversed into a Destino, but he did not have the energy to go for a cover.

Naito then placed Omega on the top rope and hit the crazy move of a super reverse-rana, dropping Omega skull first on the mat. Naito then went for the Destino, but Omega caught Naito in the air and reversed into a package tombstone piledriver.

Omega then hit three knees to the face of a grounded Naito and he then went for the finish, but Naito slipped out. Naito then hit Omega with an enzigiri and bounced off the ropes jumping at Omega, but Omega caught him with a V-trigger in the air.

Omega then hit Naito with the lovely electric chair to German suplex combo for a two-count. He then hit Naito with another V-trigger to the skull and then he was finally able to hit the One-Winged Angel for the win in this outstanding match to book his ticket to the G1 Climax 26 Final.

Winner: Kenny Omega (12pts)

Rating: 10/10

That is the close to the block portion of G1 Climax 26 and it has been an outstanding 18 nights of wrestling. I am beyond excited to see this G1 final on night 19 between Kenny Omega and Hirooki Goto.