By Sean Radican, Torch columnist

RADICAN’S “G1 CLIMAX 25: NIGHT 13” BLOG
AUG. 8, 2015
YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPWWORLD.COM

I’m not watching the tag matches on the undercard this year, but I will include the results. If anything noteworthy happens in a particular tag match, I will watch it.

Update: This show has full production minus commentary. I’ll take it!

UNDERCARD RESULTS

(1) Satoshi Kojima & Tiger Mask IV & Ryusuke Taguchi & Yohei Komatsu beat Yuji Nagata & KUSHIDA & Mascara Dorada & David Finlay, Jr. in an eight-man tag match.

(2) Bullet Club (Karl Anderson & Cody Hall) beat Michael Elgin & Jay White.

(3) Shinsuke Nakamura & Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI beat IWGP IC champion Hirooki Goto & Honma & Captain New Japan in a six-man tag match.

(4) Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Tama Tonga) beat IWGP World Hvt. champion Kazuchika Okada & Gedo.

G1 CLIMAX 25: NIGHT 13 A BLOCK RESULTS & ANALYSIS

(5) Bad Luck Fale (8) vs. Kota Ibushi (6) in a G1 Climax 25 A Block match. Ibushi needs to stay alive to avoid being mathematically eliminated from the tournament. Ibushi set up for his signature moonsault to the floor early, but Fale popped up and dragged him down to the floor. He then began working him over on the outside. Fale worked over Ibushi methodically inside the ring. They ended up on the outside and Ibushi eventually slipped out of a powerbomb attempt on the floor and hit a springboard moonsault. The fans fired up behind Ibushi and he tossed Fale back into the ring and nailed him with a springboard missile dropkick. Fale didn’t go down, so Ibushi nailed him with a combination of strikes to get him on his back. Ibushi hit a standing corkscrew press for a 2 count and then a springboard moonsault for another 2 count. Fale fired back and caught Ibushi off the ropes and hit him with a Samoan drop and both men were down. Fale hit a big running splash off the ropes, but Ibushi kicked out at 2. Fale went for the grenade, but Ibushi turned it into a pinning combination for a 2 count. Fale kicked out and nailed Ibushi with a big clothesline. He then hit the grenade, but Ibushi kicked out at 2. Fale set up for the bad luck fall and Ibushi tried to counter it into a hurricanrana, but Fale lifted him back into position and nailed him with it for the win. Wow!

Winner: Bad Luck Fale (10 pts.)

Star rating: (**1/2) – They didn’t get a lot of time, but outside of some brief flurries of offense, Ibushi never got on track here and is now mathematically eliminated from winning the tournament. Fale’s strong run in the tournament continues.

(6) Tetsuya Naito (8) vs. Toru Yano (4) in a G1 Climax 25 A Block match. Naito took longer than The Undertaker at WrestleMania to come down to the ring. Yano told Naito to take his clothes off and appeared to call him crazy. Yano then went to the floor and grabbed his robe and put it back on, which drew an ovation from the crowd. Naito and Yano began taking their tops off at the same time, but Yano ended up jumping Naito and he choked him with his ring jacket. Naito fired back and nailed Yano with a sliding dropkick that sent him to the floor. He then slowly took off his shirt and pants as the fans booed. Naito teased a dive, but ended up lying down in the middle of the ring like he was doing HBK’s pose on the Playgirl cover. Yano then mocked him by doing the same pose, so Naito nailed him with a dropkick that sent him from the apron to the floor. The ref admonished Naito, so he spit at him and shoved him into the corner. Naito then stood on Yano’s face and the fans booed. Naito attacked the ref again a short time later and sent him flying across the ring. Yano took off the turnbuckle padding and Naito ended up missing a splash in the corner. Naito tried to jump Yano from behind, but he ducked and Naito went flying over him. Yano tried to hit his pose again, but Naito once again interrupted. Naito stood on Yano’s chest and made a cocky cover for a 2 count. He then stood on his head and the ref told him to stop, so he got off of Yano. They went back and forth exchanging atomic drops. Yano yelled at the ref, so Naito kicked him low and hit destino for the win.

Naito attacked Yano after the bell. He backed down, but then attacked the ref as well. Naito asked the ref to come back into the ring to raise his hand. The ref climbed to the apron, so Naito nailed him with a dropkick through the ropes before heading to the back.

Winner: Tetsuya Naito (10 pts.)

Star rating: (**3/4) – This was fun while it lasted with both men cheating. The cried sided with Yano, but Naito made relatively short work of him.

(7) NWA Champion Hiroyoshi Tenzan (2) vs. A.J. Styles (8) in a G1 Climax 25 A Block match. Styles yelled at the fans while grabbing a headlock and told them not to boo him. He pulled on Tenzan’s hair before applying another headlock. Styles went for a shoulder tackle and Tenzan didn’t move. He told Tenzan he was going to run him over and he went for another shoulder tackle, but Tenzan leaned in and sent him crashing to the mat. Tenzan then hit several double chops and sent Styles flying to the floor. Tenzan whipped Styles into the guardrail and he ended up going over it and into the crowd. Tenzan stayed one step ahead of Styles ducking a springboard elbow and nailing him with a rolling kick a short time later. Styles ended up grabbing Tenzan by the hair before nailing him with a kick to the legs. He went for a kick on Tenzan but ended up nailing the ref. Styles yelled at Red Shoes and called him stupid before going back after Tenzan’s leg. The fans tried to fire up behind Tenzan as Styles continued to go after his leg. Tenzan tried to fire back, but Styles nicely rolled around him and got the calf killer. Tenzan managed to get to the ropes quickly to break the hold. Styles applied a figure 4 a short time later paying tribute to his days as the new Ric Flair in TNA. Tenzan struggled, but managed to get to the ropes. The fans tried to fire up behind Tenzan once again. Tenzan continued to sell his leg and collapsed when Styles tried to whip him. Styles said Tenzan was a dead man. Styles began nailing Tenzan with double chops and the fans fired up.

Tenzan fired back and nailed Styles with a headbutt and began nailing him with a series of double chops that sent Styles down to the mat. Styles fired back and caught Tenzan with a kick to the back of the head. He set up for a springboard and nailed Tenzan with an elbow for a 2 count. Styles went for a Styles clash, but Tenzan countered it with a backdrop. Tenzan applied the anaconda vice, but Styles quickly got to the ropes. Styles fired back and caught Tenzan with a dropkick as he came off the ropes a short time later. Styles set up for another springboard, but Tenzan swatted him out of the air like a fly. He went up top, but Styles cut him off and Tenzan favored his knee when he fell to the mat. Styles went for a springboard moonsault, but Tenzan got his knees up and covered Styles quickly for a 2 count. He then applied the anaconda vice. Styles struggled and tried to get to his feet. Both men got up and Styles managed to get to the ropes. Tenzan held onto Styles with the hold and the ref made him break it. Styles hit a poke to the eye. He then rolled through and grabbed the calf killer again and Tenzan tapped.

Winner: A.J. Styles (10 pts.)

Star rating: (***1/2) – This was really good. Styles worked over Tenzan’s leg throughout the match and Tenzan made some fiery comebacks before falling short in the end after Styles got the calf killer for a second time.

(8) NEVER Openweight Champion Togi Makabe (6) vs. IWGP Hvt. Tag Champion Doc Gallows (2) in a G1 Climax 25 A Block match. They went at it right away and Gallows hit a big splash in the corner. They had a shoulder tackle contest and Makabe sent Gallows to the floor with a big shoulder tackle. They brawled down the aisle before Makabe brought Gallows back to ringside. He then whipped him into the barricade. Gallows fired back inside the ring a short time later and sent Makabe to the floor with a big running kick. Gallows then choked Makabe with his own chain on the floor and the fans booed. Gallows then wrapped the chain around his fist and punched Makabe with it. Gallows choked Makabe with his rope and got back into the ring to get a count out win over Makabe, but he got back in at 19. Gallows sent Makabe to the floor and they did a walk and brawl into the crowd. Gallows took a section of the guardrail and slammed it over Makabe. Gallows slammed a chair over Makabe’s back several times before heading back to the ring. Makabe managed to stagger back into the ring to beat the 20 count. The fans tried to rally behind Makabe and he finally broke free from a headlock. Makabe got up only to eat a roundhouse kick to the head. Makabe got up and told Gallows to bring it. Gallows then nailed him with a bicycle kick. Makabe once again got up and told Gallows to bring it. Both men hit simultaneous clotheslines several times until Makabe hit a huge clothesline as Gallows came off the ropes. Both men were down and Makabe went on the attack a short time later.

Makabe hit his baby punches in the corner and caught Gallows with another clothesline a short time later for a 2 count. Gallows then mounted a comeback and punched Makabe down to the mat. Gallows placed Makabe up top and nailed him with two big kicks to the head and Makabe fell to the floor. Makabe got up and Gallows nailed him with another big kick to the head for a 2 count. Gallows hit a double hand choke slam a short time later, but Makabe kicked out at 2. Gallows went for it again, but Makabe countered. He dumped Gallows to the mat and hit the King Kong knee drop for the win.

Winner: Togo Makabe (8 pts.)

Star rating: (***1/4) – Definitely one of the best Gallows matches I’ve seen during G1. They had an intense brawl that went back and forth leading into the finish. I’m glad they went this route instead of keeping the match inside the ring where it likely would have been much less exciting.

(9) Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) vs. Katsuyori Shibata (8) in a G1 Climax A Block match. They went back and forth trading headlocks on the mat. Shibata escaped a headlock and went for a big kick to the chest, but Tanahashi ducked and they came to a stalemate. They went back and forth on the mat again. Shibata appeared to have the advantage with a bow and arrow, but Tanahashi landed on top of him for a 2 count and they came to another stalemate. Tanahashi got a leg submission, but Shibata managed to back his way into the ropes. Tanahashi backed Shibata into the ropes and teased a clean break, but ended up nailing him with a chop. They went back and forth with each of them trying to get an abdominal stretch before Shibata finally got it. Shibata went after Tanahashi’s legs and eventually got a figure 4. Tanahashi struggled and tried to turn it over, but Shibata maintained the hold. Tanahashi tried to roll over again and ended up rolling both of them right into the ropes. Both men began trading forearms and Shibata nailed Tanahashi with a big kick to the chest. He went for a dropkick in the corner a short time later, but Tanahashi popped up and nailed him with a basement dropkick. They went at it on the floor and Tanahashi hit several forearms against the guardrail and then hit Shibata’s own signature dropkick on him in the corner.

They ended up back in the ring and Shibata fired up as Tanahashi nailed him with forearms. Shibata returned fire and hit several forearms in the corner. They went back and forth and Tanahashi went for a dropkick in the corner, but Shibata lifted himself out of the way. Shibata then hit several forearms and a big running dropkick in the corner and the fans chanted for Shibata. Shibata worked another abdominal stretch with his leg over Tanahashi’s neck this time. Tanahashi struggled, but eventually got to the ropes. Shibata tried to kick him, but Tanahashi blocked it and nailed him with a big slap and both men were down. They got up and began trading forearms. They then began trading uppercuts and the fans fired up. They went back and forth and Shibata went for the penalty kick, but Tanahashi caught his leg and then dropkicked his other leg. Tanahashi then hit a dragon screw. He applied a Texas cloverleaf a short time later at a very high angle. Shibata struggled, but eventually fought his way to the ropes. Tanahashi went up top a short time later, but Shibata popped up and nailed him with a dropkick. They battled for position up top and began trading forearms. The fans fired up as they went back and forth. Shibata got shoved down to the mat, but he popped up and nailed Tanahashi with a dropkick before dumping him down to the mat. Shibata went to bounce off the ropes, but Tanahashi surprised him with a sling blade and both men were down. They got up and went back and forth and Shibata hit a DVD variation and both men were down once again.

Shibata got up first, but Tanahashi countered him and hit a neck breaker. He went up top and hit a standing high fly flow. Tanahashi went up top for a high fly flow, but Shibata got his knees up and applied the choke sleeper. Tanahashi struggled and teased fading. He managed to fight out of it, but Shibata nailed him with a flurry of strikes capped by a running kick to the head for a 2 count. Tanahashi then ducked a penalty kick. Shibata went for a choke sleeper twice as Tanahashi went for a pair of pinning combinations and on the second attempt Tanahashi bridged over and used his leverage to get the pin. Wow!

Shibata left the ring after the match and then sold frustration before storming to the back.

Tanahashi sent the fans home happy with his traditional air guitar performance and show-closing promo. He also wiped sweat on several towels as well before heading to the back.

Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi (10 pts.)

Star rating: (****1/4) – This was a really good match. They started with a slow build and then both men went after each other’s legs. The action really heated up during the second half of the match and they had some great exchanges. Tanahashi managed to escape the penalty kick several times before escaping with the victory. This match makes me think there’s more to come from the rivalry between these two members of NJPW’s Three Musketeers. Tanahashi is definitely back on track after his two match losing streak earlier in the tournament.

Quick G1 Climax 25: Night 13 Viewing Guide

What to watch: Tenzan-Styles, Styles-Gallows, Shibata-Tanahashi

What you can skip: Fale-Ibushi, Naito-Yano

Best G1 match on the card: Tanahashi-Shibata (****1/4)

Overall thoughts: Night 13 started with a couple of solid, but unremarkable matches in Fale-Ibushi and Naito-Yano. Things then picked up for the last three tournament matches with Styles-Tenzan, Makabe-Gallows, and Shibata-Tanahashi all ranging from good to excellent.

It was pretty much a given that Ibushi wasn’t going to win G1 after winning the NJPW Cup earlier this year, but it’s a shame to see him eliminated from contention with several days remaining in the tournament. He’s been fantastic in the ring and Fale’s surprising run through the tournament continued on this show.

Naito continues to be great and it was fun to see him matched up against Yano. I loved Yano’s reaction to Naito taking forever to get into the ring and take off his gear. Naito picked up another win and is on a huge roll in this tournament, although the match was mostly one sided in his favor before he won.

Styles-Tenzan told a good story with Styles working over Tenzan’s leg with Tenzan making some fantastic comebacks. I miss the Japanese commentary, but it was fun to pick up Styles’s jawing with the crowd during the match. It was also nice to see a different type of match out of Gallows, as he had a brawl with Makabe that went all over the place. This was a refreshing change of pace from the match as I was expecting and it was surprisingly good given my expectations.

The main event was really good. There’s a lot of history between Tanahashi and Shibata with Tanahashi resenting Shibata for leaving NJPW for 10 years for MMA while he stayed and defended the honor of the company. They started with a slow build and both men went after each other’s legs. They had some great exchanges down the stretch and the match really picked up late before Tanahashi got the ring with a leverage pin. It seems like we haven’t seen the last chapter in the feud between these two yet.

Overall, this was a very good night of block action, especially the last three matches that culminated in a standout main event. The top of the A block is crowded with Tanahashi, Fale, Naito, and Styles all tied with 10 points. It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.

CURRENT G1 CLIMAX 25 STANDINGS

A Block Standings

- Tanahashi (10 pts.)
- Bad Luck Fale (10 pts.)
- 2013 winner Naito (10 pts.)
- A.J. Styles (10 pts.)
- Shibata (8 pts.)
- NEVER champ Togi Makabe (8 pts.)
- Kota Ibushi (6 pts.)
- Toru Yano (4 pts.)
- NWA World champ Tenzan (2 pts.)
- IWGP tag champion Doc Gallows (2 pts.)

B Block Standings

- 2014 winner IWGP World Champ Okada (10 pts.)
- Tomohiro Ishii (8 pts.)
- ROH's Michael Elgin (8 pts.)
- IWGP tag champion Karl Anderson (8 pts.)
- IWGP IC Champ Hirooki Goto (8 pts.)
- Shinsuke Nakamura (8 pts.)
- Yujiro Takahashi (4 pts.)
- Satoshi Kojima (4 pts.)
- Yuji Nagata (2 pts.)
- Honma

***

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