New Japan G1 Climax Finals
August 10, 2014
Seibu Dome in Saitama, Japan
Aired on iPPV through UStream
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

It's the G1 Climax Finals featuring ten matches, ROH stars, and the finals of Okada vs. Nakamura.

The broadcast opened with a great highlight package of the top moments in the tournament leading to tonight's finals. New Japan then showed the layout of the wrestling arena inside the Dome, which looked quite impressive, even if the building wasn't filled.

1 -- NWA World tag champs SATOSHI KOJIMA & TENZAN & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & TIGER MASK IV vs. TAKA & EL DESPERADO & LANCE ARCHER & DAVEY BOY SMITH, JR. (w/Taichi) -- eight-man tag match

The disgraced Taichi came to the ring with his Suzukigun stablemates in shorts, a zip-up jacket, and tennis shoes with his hands in his pockets. The crowd sat quietly through the heels working on Tiger Mask until Kojima took a hot tag and the crowd really came to life. Chaos followed, then Suzukigun took turns working on Taguchi. More chaos, then TAKA and Taguchi found themselves alone in the ring. Taguchi hit a wheelbarrow slam out of a Tiger Suplex grip and cradled TAKA for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Team Kojima at 6:16. Fine warm-up match giving a face team victory over the heel Suzukigun stable to put everyone in a good mood.

2 -- YUJI NAGATA & MANABU NAKANISHI & BUSHI vs. BULLET CLUB (IWGP IC champion BAD LUCK FALE & IWGP Hvt. tag champion DOC GALLOWS & NEVER Openweight champion YUJIRO TAKAHASHI) -- six-man tag match

Doc and Nakanishi had a mid-ring big-man exchange early on testing who would fall to the mat first. Doc won the exchange to boos, then Nakanishi fought back with chops. Some good exchanges ensued, then the focus went to Nagata applying his trademark armbar submission on Bad Luck, but Yujiro broke it up to more boos. All six men in the ring, then Yujiro and BUSHI were left alone in the ring. Yujiro hit his Miami Shine finisher out of the fireman's carry position for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Bullet Club at 8:40. More heat on Bullet Club getting the win over a team involving Nagata.

3 -- SHELTON BENJAMIN & MINORU SUZUKI & TAKASHI IIZUKA vs. SAKURABA & TORU YANO & YOSHI-HASHI -- six-man tag match

Crazy-man Iizuka came through the balcony of the Seibu Dome as New Japan showed announcer Shinpei Nogami sitting nervously at the announce table. Iizuka pushed his way through the crowd, but did not go after the announcer. For now. Once the match started, the match turned into more of a brawl than organized match action. Once things got organized, Shelton tagged in Iizuka, who promptly tossed Yoshi out of the ring and hit him across the back with a chair. Yano then entered, removed the corner ring padding, and did his traditional exposed steel and low-blow spots with Iizuka.

Then, Sakuraba and Suzuki tagged in for a "shoot" fight. Chaos eventually broke out again, then Suzuki lost his mind going after Sakuraba. He eventually chucked ref Tiger Hattori across the ring, causing a DQ. Suzuki continued to punish Sakuraba for good measure after the match until he was pulled off. Sakuraba eventually came to his feet and fought with Suzuki again.

WINNERS: Team Yano via DQ at 9:45. That had a little bit of everything before getting to the meat of the show.

Now time for the Ring of Honor portion of the show.

4 -- ROH (ADAM COLE & MIKE BENNETT w/Maria Kanellis) vs. JUSHIN LIGER & CAPTAIN NEW JAPAN

Big "ROH" logo on the video screen as the heel duo made their way to the ring with Maria, who was dressed like an evil Little Red Riding Hood. To start, Cole and Liger traded offense and drew applause. Bennett then wanted a tag and said, "Give me the freak," which brought out the masked underdog Captain New Japan. Poor Captain got lured into a trap on the outside, then another trap back in the ring. The heels continued to work on Captain, drawing encouraging applause from the crowd wanting to see Captain fight back.

Captain eventually nailed a flying shoulder tackle on Cole, then hot-tagged Liger, firing up the crowd. Top-rope Frankensteiner to Cole, but Cole responded with a running knee for a two count. Back to Captain and Bennett, who suddenly speared Captain mid-ring for a two count. Captain blocked a piledriver, then got distracted by Maria's presence again. Liger tried to intervene, but Captain took a piledriver from Bennett for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Cole & Bennett at 10:58. Cole looked like he belonged on the big stage with the presence of a former ROH champion, while Bennett still seems to be figuring out who he wants to be in the ring. Overall, basic tag match focusing on the heels winning because of the Captain constantly distracted by Maria.

5 -- IWGP Jr. Hvt. tag champions TIME SPLITTERS (KUSHIDA & ALEX SHELLEY) vs. ROH tag champions REDRAGON (BOBBY FISH & KYLE O'REILLY) -- IWGP Jr. Hvt. Tag Title match

Hot start between KUSHIDA and O'Reilly. Time Splitters then dropped the challengers with a double plancha on the outside. Later, KUSHIDA dove clear off the top rope over the guardrail onto ReDragon fighting Shelley on the infield. A rare replay followed the dive to show it from a different angle.

Back in the ring, O'Reilly caught KUSHIDA for a top-rope brainbuster, but KUSHIDA kicked out just in time. "KUSH-I-DA" chants from the crowd before ReDragon double-teamed Shelley. Time Splitters looked to be in trouble as O'Reilly lit up KUSHIDA before nailing a brainbuster for a two count. O'Reilly followed with an armbar center-ring, but KUSHIDA managed to counter into a roll-up for a two count. O'Reilly tried to submit KUSHIDA, but Shelley came off the top rope with a double stomp to Kyle's chest.

Reset at 13:00 with rapid-fire offense. Shelley hit Sliced Bread on Fish, then measured O'Reilly for a punt to the chest. KUSHIDA then trapped O'Reilly in an armbar submission. O'Reilly fought the hold as Shelley took out Fish, then O'Reilly was forced to tap when KUSHIDA wrenched back on the hold.

WINNERS: Time Splitters at 14:24. Very good tag match putting Time Splitters in jeopardy before KUSHIDA pulled out the victory at the end. As for the challengers, O'Reilly was a complete star in this match. He should be invited back for more high-profile matches. O'Reilly vs. Shibata would be special. (***1/2)

Jeff Jarrett's familiar music played to introduce the Global Force Wrestling portion of the show. Out came Jarrett dressed in a suit flanked by Scott D'Amore. Of note, Jarrett has definitely shifted into promoter/management role and away from being a pro wrestler. Jarrett sat down with New Japan's Naoki Sugabayashi to sign official documents on their partnership.

Jarrett then took the mic to address the crowd. Jarrett humbly thanked the Japanese wrestling fans for their support of Global and pro wrestling, in general. Jarrett thanked chairman Sugabayashi before everyone took pictures to make the partnership official.

After Jarrett left, New Japan officially announced WrestleKingdom 9 at the Tokyo Dome on January 4, 2015.

[Intermission. It's raining hard outside, as visible through an opening at one end of the stadium.]

6 -- HONMA vs. NAITO -- G1 Climax Special Singles match

Will Honma finally get a win in the G1 tournament? It would be quite a fall for Naito, who won the G1 tournament last year. The bell sounded and the crowd was red-hot wanting to see Honma finally get a win. Honma tried his trademark fall-down headbutt twice, but Naito avoided, then got up and mocked Honma's palm-to-forehead dance, drawing boos. Naito smirked toward the crowd, then taunted fan favorite Honma for more boos. Honma made a comeback, then finally got the falling headbutt to a big pop.

Reset at 4:00 with Naito catching Honma in the corner before landing a missile dropkick. Honma came back with a sit-out powerbomb after blocking a huracanrana, then missed his top-rope falling headbutt. Both men sold on the mat before trading forearm blows. Naito then slapped Honma across the face, waking up Honma, who landed a flying headbutt to the gut. Great nearfalls each way followed as they built to whether Honma would finally get the win. It was not to be, though, as Naito bodyslammed Honma, then came off the top with Stardust Press for the pin and the win.

Afterward, Naito extended his hand, but Honma slapped his hand away after being mocked by Naito during the match. Naito left the ring, then Honma took his time leaving while selling the effects of yet another loss. The camera captured Honma's great facial expressions selling disappointment to close the match segment.

WINNER: Naito at 8:58. A sad day that Honma could not complete his journey to get a G1 victory. Very good storytelling, though.

7 -- IWGP Hvt. tag champion KARL ANDERSON (w/Yujiro) vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII -- G1 Climax Special Singles match

Yujiro, who won the NEVER Title from Ishii, hopped on the ring apron to distract Ishii, allowing Anderson to attack Ishii. Anderson targeted Ishii's injured left shoulder, sending Ishii reeling to the outside to recover. Back in the ring, Anderson continued to work on Ishii's shoulder to boos. Ishii, now bleeding, then no-sold forearm strikes and fired back on Anderson to a strong reaction.

Ishii followed with a Brainbuster using his one good arm and had a clear three count, but Yujiro pulled the ref out of the ring to boos. Yujiro followed with a lariat to Ishii, but Yoshi-Hashi ran down to the ring to chase off Yujiro. Back in the ring, Anderson wanted the Stun Gun, but Ishii blocked and rocked Anderson with headbutts. Ishii tried a brainbuster, but he was too injured and Anderson countered with a mid-air Gun Stun for the pin and the win. Trainers immediately checked on Ishii, who sold tremendous pain as he was helped out of the ring.

WINNER: Anderson at 9:42. More heat on Bullet Club and sympathy on Ishii as they continue to build to that one day when Bullet Club gets their comeuppance.

8 -- SHIBATA vs. HIROOKI GOTO -- G1 Climax Special Singles match

It's a re-match from their Match of the Year Contender at the Tokyo Dome earlier this year. Big forearm strike party to begin the match, with Shibata being the aggressor. A suplex party followed, which Goto won to knock Shibata out of the ring to the floor. Big counters and reversals from the high school classmates who know each other so well. Shibata eventually nailed the Penalty Kick to the chest for the pin and the win.

Both men required ice packs afterward to sell the effects of a hard-hitting match. Shibata then chucked Goto out of the ring before helping him to the back. Shibata fell down half-way to the back, so Goto picked up Shibata and helped him to the back. The post-match storytelling was almost as good as the match.

WINNER: Shibata at 11:18. So good. Not quite the level of their Tokyo Dome match, which had the big back-story, but this was very good. Shibata is definitely a main-event player. (***1/4)

9 -- IWGP World Hvt. champion A.J. STYLES (w/Bullet Club) vs. TANAHASHI -- non-title G1 Climax Third Place match

Tanahashi wanted Bullet Club gone, so Styles obliged and told his group that he's got this. It's one-on-one in the G1 Climax semi-main event spot. Big counter/reversal sequences that wow'ed the crowd to begin the match. More of the same mid-way through with exchanges and counters of signature moves and finishing move teases. The crowd got behind Tanahashi as he absorbed high-impact offense from Styles.

Styles snapped off a top-rope huracanrana that put both men down on the mat, then Styles got to his feet and wanted the Clash, but Tanahashi blocked. So, Styles kind of dropped Tanahashi on the back of his head/neck region. Styles then tried Tanahashi's own High Fly Flow, but Tanahashi got his knees up. Tanahashi snapped to attention and tried HFF, but Styles blocked with knees. Both men sold on the mat as the ref checked for signs of life.

Back to their feet at 15:00. Pele Kick, then Styles delivered a brainbuster suplex. Styles did the Bullet Club signal, then called for the Styles Clash again, but Tanahashi countered with a roll-up and trapped Styles for a three count. Styles couldn't believe it after the match.

WINNER: Tanahashi at 16:26. Another great match in the G1 Series. (****)

Post-match: Bullet Club then hit the ring and attacked Tanahashi. Big beat down on Tanahashi, who tried to catch his breath from the match. Styles then got the Clash on Tanahashi that he tried during the match. Big boos for the post-match activity. Suddenly, Jeff Jarrett showed up and cleared Bullet Club from the ring. Jarrett and Scott D'Amore stood next to Tanahashi, then D'Amore struggled to open Jarrett's guitar case. He eventually produced a guitar with "Bullet Club" written on the guitar and smashed it over Tanahashi's head. Jarrett and D'Amore revealed Bullet Club t-shirts and posed with Styles and Co. to reveal their allegiance to boos. Tanahashi was eventually helped to the back as Bullet Club celebrated in the ring. And, the faction just got lame with a 2000s WCW/TNA feel to the presentation.

Moving on to the main event ring introductions and theme music to cleanse the pallet. Out first was Kazuchika Okada flanked by Gedo. Okada posed in the ring, then Shinsuke Nakamura was introduced to a big reaction. It's big-time pro wrestling right here.

10 -- OKADA vs. NAKAMURA -- G1 Climax Finals

Nice feeling-out process to begin the match. Rainmaker Pose at 2:30, which amused Nakamura. Okada controlled the match for a while, wearing down Nakamura with submissions and methodical offense. But, Nakamura responded with his trademark rapid-fire corner strikes. Next was a flying knee to the back of Okada's head as Okada hung across the ring apron. Nakamura wanted a top-rope move, but Okada sprung to his feet and double-foot dropkicked Nakamura clear off the top to the floor.

Back in the ring, Okada teased the Rainmaker clothesline, but Nakamura avoided and nailed a backstabber. Both men to the mat to sell the effects. Back on their feet for an exchange of forearm bombs. Okada then nailed a dropkick to the back of the head before delivering a Tombstone Piledriver. Rainmaker Pose. Okada wanted the Rainmaker lariat, but Nakamura flipped over him into an armbar submission. Okada prevented the full application of the hold, which allowed him to stay in the match. He turned his back to recover and Nakamura nailed him with a knee to the back of the head. But, Nakamura was too worn to capitalize with a pin attempt.

Reset at 19:00. Forearm. Forearm. Repeat. Double-foot dropkick off the ropes by Okada. Nakamura then fell down being shot off to the ropes, so the ref checked on Nakamura. Okada waited to try another dropkick, but Nakamura held the ropes and capitalized with a knee to a prone Okada's face. One, two, kick out. Nakamura wanted the Boma Ye knee out of the corner, but Okada sprung on him with another big dropkick. Okada followed with a German Suplex with bridge for a very close two count. Okada tried to follow right up with the Rainmaker lariat, but Nakamura blocked.

Nakamura to the corner wanting the Boma Ye knee, but Okada charged to block. Okada suddenly nailed the Rainmaker, then again. Rainmaker Pose, then a third lariat that spun Nakamura onto his head. Okada fell on top of Nakamura and scored a three count for the win. Okada is 2014 G1 Climax.

WINNER: Okada at 23:20. What a match. The epic clash expected going into this show. Now, Okada is back on-track to regain the IWGP World Title from A.J. Styles. (****1/2)

Post-match: Okada and Gedo celebrated in the ring before Nakamura was helped away from the ring after taking three Rainmakers. Nakamura stopped half-way down the exit area to show frustration over the loss. Back in the ring, Okada posed with his hardware for winning the G1. Gedo then took the mic to hype Okada for winning the tournament. Okada spoke next about taking back the title at the Tokyo Dome before Gedo called out Naito and Karl Anderson. Okada signed off with a crowd-pleasing speech about winning G1. Cue up the Rainmaker Pose to close G1.

On the post-game show, the announcers said the next New Japan PPV, "Destruction in Kobe" on September 21, will air on Ustream iPPV.

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