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With the 2015 G1 Climax in the history books, let’s take a look back at how everyone fared, what matches you need to see and what it all means for the immediate future in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
This years tournament was the longest in history, with an incredible 19 shows. We had a different format with the shows made up of four tag team matches and five tournament matches, with each block taking a night off and a night on. I loved the format this year, with it allowing you to easily digest the G1 matches without having to try and process nine or ten of them on every show. With only five and with only one block to focus on, it was easy to follow what was going on. It also meant that the G1 matches meant something and stood out as blow away matches.
This years G1 was absolutely as great as last years, it just didn’t get the
buzz of last years event because you weren’t getting the blow away top to bottom
shows this time around. I’m willing to bet if you took the G1 matches and
compared them to last years, this one would be just as good, if not better. We
had outstanding, big time matches, huge first time matches, breakout
performances and clashes between old rivals. The G1 Climax is the greatest
tournament in pro wrestling and the standard has gotten so high that it has
ridiculous expectations to live up to. It lived up to them all this year, with
several matches that could all be called the match of the year, not only in
NJPW, but anywhere.
This years format took the workload off a lot of guys. If Shinsuke Nakamura
suffered his injury last year he would have been out, or at least missed three
or four tournament matches. This year he was able to skip two tag matches and
only miss one tournament match, while also having a few days to rest. Who knows
what other injuries were avoided with the lesser workload.
The format also allowed others to shine. We seen guys like Tama Tonga & YOSHI-HASHI go on winning streaks, two guys that usually never get a look from anyone. We saw the young lions standout and in particular we saw Jay White grow and get better. We had standout performances from Mascara Dorada too and the tag matches also allowed NJPW to create some buzz for G1 matches by having opponents collide in tags on the previous show.
The tournament peaked on the last six days with the three Korakuen Hall shows and three Sumo Hall shows all providing some of the best top to bottom cards of the year. If you don’t want to watch the whole thing, but want to jump in and watch complete shows, make it the last six as they tell the story of the conclusion of the tournament.
Let’s take a look at the blocks and how everyone did.
Block A:
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 14 - Winner
Tanahashi had been saving himself for this tournament all year and silenced any
critic that he had. Tanahashi proved that he is still the Ace of New Japan and
on any given day can still be as good as he ever was. Tanahashi is one of the
greatest wrestlers of this generation and will be remembered as one of the best
to ever come from Japan. He had outstanding matches with just about everyone
from Ibushi to Shibata and even Bad Luck Fale. His block deciding match with AJ
Styles and his final match with Shinsuke Nakamura are two of the finest pro
wrestling matches you will ever see and perfect examples of why Tanahashi is as
good as he is. As for him winning the G1, he wasn’t the first pick of many, but
he absolutely deserves it. He hasn’t won a G1 in years and it will likely be
challenging Kazuchika Okada at Wrestle Kingdom in January to conclude their
story. Tanahashi suffered losses to Bad Luck Fale and Tetsuya Naito. He already
has a defence of his title shot against Fale set for Destruction and will likely
defend it against Naito too. Tanahashi had a remarkable G1, and in many ways was
reborn and refound his top form.
AJ Styles – 12
There were high expectations for AJ Styles this year after being the standout
performer in last years G1. Styles was the favourite to win Block A for many,
but it didn’t happen. Styles had several incredible performances, particularly
with Shibata on the opening day and his match with Ibushi was one of my
favourites of the tournament, a match that everyone needs to see. Styles has
become a legitimate top drawing guy in NJPW and he is primed for a babyface turn
at any time. The New Japan fans get behind him despite being the main guy of the
villainous Bullet Club. Styles showed his versatility, being able to adapt to
wrestle the strong style of Shibata, the craziness of Yano and he even had a
priceless comedy match with Bad Luck Fale. I was banking on a Styles/Nakamura
final, a match that I am really hoping will happen at Wrestle Kingdom. For now,
Styles has an IWGP title shot against Kazuchika Okada coming up at King of Pro
Wrestling in October.
Bad Luck Fale – 10
The Underboss finished very high in his block and scored a few big wins. He beat
Kota Ibushi, but his biggest victory came against eventual winner Hiroshi
Tanahashi. You knew what to expect from Fale. He had some fun matches with
certain guys that could get the best out of him, and some others weren’t easy to
watch. Fale has a great presence and is great when he is booked like a monster.
He will face Tanahashi for the Tokyo Dome title shot at Destruction on September
27th.
Tetsuya Naito – 10
The G1 Climax saw the transformation of Tetsuya Naito from the babyface Stardust
Genius that always gave his best, to the uninterested, sulky heel that only
cares about himself and the CMLL faction, Los Ingobernables. Naito was one of
the highlights of the G1 for me, especially in the first half. His character
work was absolutely incredible. Naito has always been a guy that was great in
the ring, but was very bland beyond that. Now his matches are secondary to his
mannerisms. As the tournament went on we seen Naito grow into the character. He
took an age to make his way to the ring and take his entrance gear off, and by
the end he was attacking referees and camera men. Naito scored huge wins over
the likes of Tanahashi, Styles & Ibushi, but as the tournament went on he
suffered silly losses to the likes of Gallows & Tenzan. Naito lost some steam in
the latter part of the G1, but his clashes with Shibata on the final few days
made people forget that. Shibata has been trying to tear Naito limb from limb,
as Naito eggs him on. They are set to clash at Destruction on September 27th,
and hopefully we will have some sort of Los Ingobernables invasion in NJPW in
the coming months.
Katsuyori Shibata – 8
Shibata was one of the standout performers in Block A. If you take a look
through his matches, they all stood out for one reason or another, so for that
he might be the MVP of the 2015 G1. Shibata brings something very different and
forces all of his opponents to fight and wrestle his style. His matches with
Styles, Tanahashi, Ibushi & Naito were all must-see. His matches with Gallows,
Tenzan & Fale all over achieved. Shibata deserves more than he gets in NJPW. The
crowd are begging for him to move up the ladder. His wins and losses became
secondary here, as his performances were what really mattered. If you were to go
back and watch all the G1 matches of one guy this year it should be Shibata.
Togi Makabe – 8
Makabe was as he always is. He had really good matches with a lot of the top
guys in the block, but nothing blow away and anything with the lesser names in
the block weren’t bad, but forgettable. As the NEVER Openweight champion he
suffered losses to Ibushi, Fale & Shibata, three potential challengers. We
already know he will defend the title against Ibushi at Destruction, but we
could also see Shibata & Fale in line for future shots.
Toru Yano – 8
YTR was the spoiler of the G1. Yano is that guy that can believably beat anyone
at any given moment of a match. He forced two major upsets when he beat Shibata,
and the bigger one came when he beat Ibushi in a matter of seconds. He was a
nice change of pace from the serious, hard hitting scraps in the G1. All of his
matches were fun and easy to sit back and laugh at. I was never a big fan of
Yano, but he has changed my mind in a big way in 2015.
Kota Ibushi – 8
Ibushi is a guy that I was expecting to make a real run at winning his block and
I at least expected him to finish higher than he did. Regardless of his win/loss
record, he was a standout performer and had some of the most incredible matches
of the tournament. His match with Styles was innovation at its finest. His
matches with Tanahashi, Shibata & Naito were all outstanding and he dragged good
matches out of Fale, Tenzan & Gallows. He got a win over NEVER champion Makabe
on the last day of the block, and will challenge for the title, a match I can
see him winning and going on to defend against Shibata, another guy that has a
win over the current NEVER champion.
Hiroyoshi Tenzan – 6
The NWA champion is someone that always pulls out some incredible performances
in the G1. That didn’t happen this year. He had some good matches, but even the
likes of Tanahashi & Styles could only get decent matches out of him. I’d like
to think that this might have been the last G1 for the G1 veteran.
Doc Gallows – 6
Gallows had a very unmemorable start to the G1, but he scored major wins over
Naito & Shibata in the latter stages, two wins that he really needed over bigger
names, as he was used as one of the tournaments spoilers. He had some fun
matches and had a better overall tournament than last year.
Block B
Shinsuke Nakamura – 14
Nakamura was the odds on favourite to win for many. When he lost the IC title to
Goto it looked like everything was set up for him to win and go on to face Okada
for the IWGP title, but it didn’t happen. We knew he would win his block right
from the minute the blocks were announced, but I think as over as Nakamura is in
the west, the same doesn’t hold true in Japan. He’s over and one of the top
stars, but he’s a small step below Tanahashi and Okada in popularity and people
sometimes forget that. Nakamura was almost ruled out of the G1 after two matches
with a bad elbow injury and missed one G1 match with Michael Elgin. But he made
his comeback with a monumental, gutsy performance against Tomohiro Ishii, having
a match that a one armed man should never have. Nakamura had a lot of good
matches and some great matches, but a lot of his routine has gotten very
predictable, particularly against lesser opponents. He had an absolutely
incredible match with Hirooki Goto, which was the best of their series. His
match with Kazuchika Okada to decide the block was beyond awesome and the final
with Tanahashi was an instant classic and he did it all with a bad arm. Nakamura
is incredible, but I think he is just missing something in Japan that is
stopping NJPW from pushing him to the very next level. Up next he will challenge
Goto for the IC title at Destruction and I’m not sure if I want to see Nakamura
go back to being IC champion again, unless he is to start a series with AJ
Styles for the title.
Kazuchika Okada – 14
The IWGP heavyweight champion only lost out on winning his block after a defeat
to Nakamura. Some people were starting to believe that Okada might actually win
the whole thing as the champion. Okada suffered only two losses, to Nakamura and
the other to Hirooki Goto. It looked like that might lead to a champion vs
champion match, but that might not be on the cards at all. Okada had several
fantastic matches, with his best being against Nakamura, Goto and Yuji Nagata.
Okada showed what an incredible pro he is by his performance in helping Michael
Elgin get over in his first G1 match. He showed incredible versatility by having
several very different matches depending on his opponent and he always does an
amazing job of making his opponent look like they might win before defeating
them, which to me is the true mark of a great champion.
Karl Anderson – 12
The Machine Gun had an incredible G1 and reminded a lot of people how great a
singles wrestler he can be. Anderson scored a huge upset win over Nakamura in
his first match and from there went on a winning streak, getting to the point
where he could have ended up in the final on the last day of results went his
way. Anderson brought something different to his block as the loud mouth
American and Bullet Club antics. He had excellent matches with just about
everyone and as usual with Anderson he put together some incredible finishing
sequences based around the Gun Stun. I always say that Anderson is the most
underrated American wrestler in the world, and that became evident in this
tournament. I really hope we see more of Anderson as a singles wrestler in the
near future. Anderson also got a big win over Intercontinental champion Hirooki
Goto, so I really hope Anderson gets a title shot out of that.
Hirooki Goto – 12
The IWGP Intercontinental champion had a great G1. He was another guy that had a
chance of winning right up until the end and he had some outstanding, hard
hitting matches with the likes of Honma, Elgin & Kojima. His match with Ishii
was the match of the tournament for many. He scored his biggest win over Okada,
so he may have an IWGP heavyweight title shot in the future. He suffered losses
to Nakamura, Nagata & Anderson. He already has a title defence set against
Nakamura, and if he survives that he may have defences against Nagata &
Anderson. His matches with Okada & Nakamura were both incredible and did a lot
in establishing him as a top guy in NJPW now that he is a major title holder.
Tomohiro Ishii – 10
For once Ishii managed to finish up the G1 still able to walk under his own
power. However as the days went on he seemed to add more pieces of tape to
himself. Every match Ishii had was a war and a scrap. The thing that makes Ishii
special is that every match he has, has a a realism to it due to Ishii’s selling
as if he is near death. He had physical matches with Anderson, Kojima & Nagata.
His match with Honma was a classic. He had outstanding matches with CHAOS mates
Nakamura & Okada and his match with Elgin was beyond awesome. Ishii yet again
had a fantastic G1. His performances are always much more memorable than his
win/loss record.
Michael Elgin – 8
Michael Elgin had the tournament of his life. He took every critic, every
negative comment, every doubt and shoved it back in the face of everyone by
blowing everyone away match after match. In his tag match on the first day and
his first G1 match with Okada, it became apparent that Elgin was a perfect fit
for NJPW. He looked completely at home in a company where it sometimes takes
months for someone to settle in. I always thought Elgin’s style was tailor made
for NJPW and thankfully I was right. After a few matches in NJPW he looked more
comfortable and at home than he ever did in ROH, and I like him in ROH. He had
outstanding matches with just about everyone. The NJPW crowd went nuts for his
power spots time and time again. His matches with Kojima and Honma were great.
His match with Goto was amazing and his final match with Ishii was an instant
classic. The Korakuen Hall crowd chanted his name and even sided with him over
Goto which was an incredible accomplishment as it took AJ Styles several months
to get to that point. To me his crowning moment came against Yujiro Takahashi
when he managed to get a great match out of Yujiro, who had been putting people
to sleep for days. He proved that he was not only a great fit in Japan, but that
he could also carry someone to a great NJPW style match. Elgin needs to be back
in Japan as a regular major player. He could end up being one of the great
gaijins of this era.
Yujiro Takahashi – 6
The only memorable thing about Yujiro’s G1 was Mao. He was his usual clumsy,
dull self and the likes of Tama Tonga or YOSHI-HASHI would have been a much
better addition to the tournament. Hell, even Captain New Japan would have
been. Even his matches with Okada & Nakamura were only decent. His best match
came against Elgin, and other than that none of his matches will be nowhere near
anyones list of must watch matches.
Yuji Nagata – 6
The story of Nagata’s G1 was his rib injury that he sold masterfully time and
time again. The veteran Nagata was there to make others look good, but as usual
he performed like someone his age should never be able to. His match with Okada
was something truly special and was Nagata’s moment of the tournament. They had
a match built around the veteran still trying to prove he belonged against the
cocky champion in the prime of his career. Many rooted for a Nagata win, but it
didn’t happen. He got his major win over IC champion Hirooki Goto, so it looks
like Nagata will have a title opportunity in the future.
Satoshi Kojima – 6
Kojima was another veteran presence in the tournament and had some excellent
matches that were always fun to watch. His matches with Nakamura, Ishii & Goto
were all great and his match with Okada was his finest of the tournament. Kojima
doesn’t get the attention he deserves and he really needs a chance to have more
important singles matches throughout the year. He is always a highlight of the
G1 for me, and he was again this year.
Tomoaki Honma – 2
The loveable underdog Honma got his big win and for the second straight G1,
Honmamania ran wild. As like last year Honma had a string of incredible matches
where he fought from underneath, getting closer and closer, unable to get the
big win. That was until he scored the monumental upset against Tomohiro Ishii at
Korakuen Hall, in the New Japan moment of the year and a moment that anyone who
witnessed it will remember forever. This is the Honma match you have to see, but
every single match he had was fun. After he beat Ishii I don’t understand his
immediate loss to Yujiro Takahashi, but Honma got his big moment, and it was
something that everyone will look back on when they remember G1 25.
I have put together a list of recommended matches from each show. There are a
handful missing from NJPW World at the minute, I’m not sure why, but I’m sure
they will pop up. I have included direct links to all of the matches that are
available and have marked the must-see matches with a *.
Day 1 - July 20
*AJ Styles vs. Katsuyori Shibata
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_1_08
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_1_09
Day 2 - July 23
Kazuchika Okada vs Michael Elgin
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_2_08
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Karl Anderson
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_2_09
Day 3 - July 24
AJ Styles vs Toru Yano
*Tetsuya Naito vs Katsuyori Shibata
Day 4 - July 25
Michael Elgin vs. Satoshi Kojima
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_4_06
Yuji Nagata vs Shinsuke Nakamura
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_4_08
Tomoaki Honma vs Kazuchika Okada
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_4_09
Day 5 - July 26
Katsuyori Shibata vs Togi Makabe
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_5_07
*AJ Styles vs Kota Ibushi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_5_08
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Tetsuya Naito
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_5_09
Day 6 - July 28
Hirooki Goto vs Tomoaki Honma
Karl Anderson vs Tomohiro Ishii
Kazuchika Okada vs Satoshi Kojima
Day 7 - July 29
*Katsuyori Shibata vs Kota Ibushi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_7_07
Bad Luck Fale vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_7_08
AJ Styles vs Tetsuya Naito
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_7_09
Day 8 - August 1
Michael Elgin vs Tomoaki Honma
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_8_07
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tomohiro Ishii
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_8_08
*Hirooki Goto vs Kazuchika Okada
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_8_09
Day 9 - August 2
Togi Makabe vs Tetsuya Naito
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Toru Yano
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_9_09
Day 10 - August 4
Michael Elgin vs Yujiro Takahashi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_10_05
Tomohiro Ishii vs Yuji Nagata
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_10_07
*Shinsuke Nakamura vs Hirooki Goto
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_10_09
Day 11 - August 5
Tetsuya Naito vs Kota Ibushi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_11_09
Day 12 - August 7
Kazuchika Okada vs Tomohiro Ishii
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_12_09
Day 13 - August 8
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Katsuyori Shibata
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_13_09
Day 14 - August 9
Karl Anderson vs Michael Elgin
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_14_05
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Tomoaki Honma
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_14_08
*Hirooki Goto vs Tomohiro Ishii
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_14_09
Day 15 - August 11
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs Katsuyori Shibata
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_15_06
AJ Styles vs Bad Luck Fale
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_15_08
Day 16 - August 12
*Hirooki Goto vs Michael Elgin
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_16_06
*Kazuchika Okada vs Yuji Nagata
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_16_08
*Tomohiro Ishii vs Tomoaki Honma
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_16_08
Day 17 - August 14
Kota Ibushi vs Togi Makabe
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_17_08
*AJ Styles vs Hiroshi Tanahashi
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_17_09
Day 18 - August 15
*Tomohiro Ishii vs Michael Elgin
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_18_06
*Kazuchika Okada vs Shinsuke Nakamura
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_18_09
Final Day - August 16
This show is available in its entirety here:
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_19_1
Michael Elgin vs YOSHI-HASHI
ReDRagon vs The Young Bucks
KUSHIDA vs Ricochet
AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows vs Kazuchika Okada, Matt Taven & Mike
Bennett
*Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Shinsuke Nakamura
http://njpwworld.com/p/s_series_00333_19_09
I can be found on Twitter @MatthewMacklin or @TweetEnzuigiri.
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