NJPW G1 Climax 2008

[nWoHulkster]

Най-престижният кеч турнир наближава!

Fourteen men will comprise the 2008 G1 Climax, and all but two of them are known after today. The big news is that Hiroshi Tanahashi returns much earlier than originally expected from injury, taking part in the tournament alongside mainstays Tenzan, Nagata, Nakanishi, Nakamura, Bernard, and Makabe. Yano is given the nod over Iizuka due to his big rise and ongoing IWGP Tag Team Title reign, while Hirooki Goto will get to experience his first G1. After his 2-crown achievement, Super Jr. winner Wataru Inoue also enters his first G1. No Chono or Koshinaka this year. FOUR outsiders will take part this year, the big and shocking news being the return of Toshiaki Kawada to New Japan, the freelancer back for his second G1 after reaching the semi finals of the 2005 version. And DRADITION's Yutaka Yoshie, who has started interacting with New Japan wrestlers again as part of the NJ/DRADITION working agreement, is also back in town. Two more outsiders are set to enter, with ZERO1-MAX likely to occupy at least one spot, and there is always the possibility of Keiji Muto, depending on whether they want him in or want the tournament to create a new challenger for him.

- Hiroshi Tanahashi

- Hiroyoshi Tenzan

- Yuji Nagata

- Manabu Nakanishi

- Shinsuke Nakamura

- Hirooki Goto

- Giant Bernard

- Togi Makabe

- Toru Yano

- Wataru Inoue

- Toshiaki Kawada (freelancer)

- Yutaka Yoshie (DRADITION)

- Outsider TBA

- Outsider TBA

Нещата звучат екстра. Tanahashi's back!~ Kawada!~ Yoshie!~ Един от "the final two" със сигурност ще бъде някоя от по-важните клечки от Zero-One MAX и аз лично стискам палците за асотo на 01MAX - Masato Tanaka, но бих останал доволен и на някой като Otani, Omori, Sato или Sasaki. Възможностите за последният кечист в tournament-a са най-различни, според мен. Шампионът Muto, някой от TNA или защо не някой от AJPW или пък Daisuke Sekimoto от BJW. Ще видим, но нещата определено звучат добре.

[nWoHulkster]

Shinjiro Otani (от ZERO1-MAX) е добавен към турнира!

[G]

Hiroshi Tanahashi .. ще стане голямо шоу!

[wwz]

^Не вярвам тази година Tanahashi да спечели.Дадоха му New Japan купата, ако и сега му дадат и победата в G1 Climax това ще го утвърди като още по-голяма звезда естествено, но аз като пълен марк ще заложа на Nagata , нищо, че човека имаше контузия.Чудно ми е дали ще поднесат някаква изненада - като например Bernard да спечели турнира.Първият американец, печелил, както се изрази Фил "най-престижният кеч турнир".Няма голяма надежда но съм и Bernard mark и се надявам, че тази година ще мога да проследя целият турнир.Естествено, всичко зависи от тракерите :)

[nWoHulkster]

Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi (7th participation ~ 2007 winner)

2. Manabu Nakanishi (12th participation ~ 1999 winner)

3. Wataru Inoue (1st participation)

4. Giant Bernard (3rd participation)

5. Togi Makabe (5th participation)

6. Shinjiro Otani (1st participation)

7. X

Block B:

1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (14th participation ~ 2003, 2004 & 2006 winner)

2. Yuji Nagata (10th participation ~ 2001 winner)

3. Shinsuke Nakamura (5th participation)

4. Hirooki Goto (1st participation)

5. Toru Yano (3rd participation)

6. Toshiaki Kawada (2nd participation)

7. Yutaka Yoshie (6th participation)

Taзи година двете групи са горе-долу равностойни, но все пак във втората група надпреварата за първото място се очертава да бъде по-сериозна. И айде, време е този последния кечист да го обявят.

[Jericho]

Wataru Inoue се казва победителя! Трябва да го изградят като сериозно лице щом го пушват у Heavyweight дивизията па и Best Of The Super Jr. + Climax ще го дигне доста в очите на хората . Дай боже Muto-Inoue на Tokyo Dome! :D

[The God]

Muto-Inoue на Tokyo Dome-наистина дай Боже.

[nWoHulkster]

Хаха ае стига бе. Приказки за Wataru Inoue като потенциална main event звезда... Да не би без да съм разбрал да съм попаднал в някакво друго измерение, където на някой му дреме за Wataru Inoue? Защото в измерението, където живея аз пича е midcard filler. :)

[Jericho]

Хаха ае стига бе. Приказки за Wataru Inoue като потенциална main event звезда... Да не би без да съм разбрал да съм попаднал в някакво друго измерение, където на някой му дреме за Wataru Inoue? Защото в измерението, където живея аз пича е midcard filler.

Ти гледай, па декември месец че си говориме... :D

[BORKO_10]

Тайничко се надявам, Nakanishi да го спечели, тъй като от край време ми е любимец, но той по принцип вече си е бита карта и не мисля, че е възможно да стане такова нещо.

Все си мисля,че може Nagata да го грабне,но ще видим. Не изключвам и варианта Giant Bernard да спечели турнира...като гледам той е единствения gajin кечист в турнира, така че...

[nWoHulkster]

И последният участник в тазгодишния G1 Climax е ... Satoshi Kojima!

[corruptedshadow]

Satoshi Kojima - не ме кефи особено, обаче съм фен на Voodoo Murders, така че съм раздвоен :D

[shile]

NJPW, 8/9/08 (WPW)

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax Special Tag: Hirooki Goto & Prince Devitt vs. Togi Makabe & Karl Anderson

2. G1 Climax Special 8 Man Tag: Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono, Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA vs. Takashi Iizuka, Jado, Gedo & Tomoaki Honma

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano vs. Yutaka Yoshie

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Wataru Inoue

5. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Shinjiro Otani

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard vs. Satoshi Kojima

7. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Toshiaki Kawada

NJPW, 8/11/08 (Samurai! TV)

Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax Special 8 Man Tag: Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito vs. Jado, Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma

2. G1 Climax Special 8 Man Tag: Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA vs. Giant Bernard, Milano Collection AT, Minoru & Prince Devitt

3. G1 Climax - Block A: Wataru Inoue vs. Shinjiro Otani

4. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Toru Yano

5. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Yutaka Yoshie

6. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Toshiaki Kawada

7. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Togi Makabe

8. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Satoshi Kojima

NJPW, 8/13/08 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. G1 Climax Special Tag: Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma vs. Satoshi Kojima & X

2. G1 Climax Special Tag: Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Toshiaki Kawada & Taichi Ishikari

3. G1 Climax - Block A: Wataru Inoue vs. Togi Makabe

4. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toru Yano

5. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard vs. Shinjiro Otani

6. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Hirooki Goto

7. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata vs. Yutaka Yoshie

8. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Manabu Nakanishi

NJPW, 8/14/08 (SXW)

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax Special Tag: Wataru Inoue & Tiger Mask vs. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito

2. G1 Climax Special 6 Man Tag: Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Takashi Iizuka, Jado & Gedo

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Yutaka Yoshie

4. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata vs. Toru Yano

5. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Giant Bernard

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe vs. Shinjiro Otani

7. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Satoshi Kojima

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Toshiaki Kawada

NJPW, 8/15/08 (Samurai! TV)

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

1. Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & Kazuchika Okada vs. Yutaka Yoshie , Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito

2. G1 Climax - Block A: Wataru Inoue vs. Satoshi Kojima

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano vs. Toshiaki Kawada

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Togi Makabe

5. G1 Climax Special Tag: Kurt Angle & Masahiro Chono vs. Shinjiro Otani & AJ Styles

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Giant Bernard

7. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hirooki Goto

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yuji Nagata

NJPW, 8/16/08 (SXW)

Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Minoru & Prince Devitt © vs. Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA

2. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano

3. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi vs. Wataru Inoue

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard vs. Togi Makabe

5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yutaka Yoshie

6. G1 WORLD WAR II "DOMINANCE AND INTENSITY": Kurt Angle & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & AJ Styles

7. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Shinjiro Otani

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata vs. Toshiaki Kawada

NJPW, 8/17/08 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Wataru Inoue vs. Giant Bernard

2. G1 Climax - Block B: Toshiaki Kawada vs. Yutaka Yoshie

3. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe vs. Satoshi Kojima

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shinjiro Otani

5. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

6. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata vs. Hirooki Goto

7. G1 Climax - Final: Block A 1st place vs. Block B 1st place

Ето и пълната програма на турнира.Предполагам ви прави впечатление,че тази година няма полуфинали,а шампионът ще се определи в пряк сблъсък между победителите в двете групи.

[Jericho]

Предполагам ви прави впечатление,че тази година няма полуфинали,а шампионът ще се определи в пряк сблъсък между победителите в двете групи.

Простотия... :(

[nWoHulkster]

The prestigious midsummer festival, the G1 Climax, began its latest chapter today, one that has the promise to be one of the best yet. On October 10th, 1999, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Wataru Inoue, along with Katsuyori Shibata, debuted at Korakuen Hall. Nine years later, Tanahashi is the top young wrestler in the Japanese industry and has beaten many top names, while Wataru Inoue finally conquered the junior division after years of effort, and now takes his first major steps in the heavyweight division. They clashed today in the opening match and the first of the tournament, and the newcomer to the heavyweight division did not go down easily to Tana, but was always a little outmatched and tapped out to a Texas Cloverleaf hold. This was Tanahashi's first match back after a long injury, but he didn't seem to have lost a single step. DRADITION ace Yutaka Yoshie returned to New Japan and battled an old rival in the form of Toru Yano, scoring a big opening day win over the IWGP Tag Team Champion, using Fujinami's Dragon sleeper to earn the two points and perhaps send a message to others in the tournament. ZERO1-MAX president Shinjiro Otani also scored big on day one, avenging a singles match loss from earlier this year to Manabu Nakanishi, pinning a man who has been one of the most noticeable and sought after talents in a big revival year for him so far. Satoshi Kojima, fresh off quitting his post as Voodoo Murders head honcho in All Japan, started the G1 in less than convincing fashion, falling to gaijin ace Giant Bernard in an intense power fight. These two fought to a double KO in the 2006 G1, but Bernard perhaps took advantage of Kojima's inactivity in return months due to injury, pinning him after the Bernard bomb.

After four attempts and four losses, Hiroyoshi Tenzan finally knocked down a man who has served as a "wall" for him in his career, the great Toshiaki Kawada, pinning him on day one of the tournament. Tenzan has been in blistering form since returning from injury, and having ended or at least toned down his blood feud with Takashi Iizuka in July, now has his eyes on trophies and titles, today's win over Kawada showing that Tenzan is or WAS perhaps in peak condition. I say "WAS" because GBH stormed the ring after the match and super powerbombed Tenzan through a table, forcing him to leave on a stretcher and casting his remaining G1 campaign into doubt. Today's main event was the long awaited rematch from last year's semi final, when Nagata sidelined Nakamura for months with a shoulder injury. Nakamura scored sweet revenge over Nagata, forcing him to tap out to a cross armbreaker and pick up two points, the first step towards his dream of a first G1 win.

NJPW, 8/9/08 (WPW)

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

0. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito beat Kazuchika Okada & Nobuo Yoshihashi (5:09) when Naito used a crab hold on Yoshihashi.

1. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] beat Wataru Inoue [0] (14:07) with a Texas Cloverleaf hold.

2. G1 Climax Special 8 Man Tag: Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono, Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA beat Takashi Iizuka, Jado, Gedo & Tomoaki Honma (8:43) when Chono used a Shining Yakuza kick on Gedo.

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Yutaka Yoshie [2] beat Toru Yano [0] (11:38) with a Dragon sleeper.

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinjiro Otani [2] beat Manabu Nakanishi [0] (12:21) with a Spiral bomb.

5. G1 Climax Special Tag: Hirooki Goto & Prince Devitt beat Togi Makabe & Karl Anderson (11:25) when Goto used the Shouten on Anderson.

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard [2] beat Satoshi Kojima [0] (13:27) with the Bernard bomb.

7. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] beat Toshiaki Kawada [0] (19:24) with the Anaconda buster.

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [2] beat Yuji Nagata [0] (15:52) with a cross armbreaker.

-

Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]

- Giant Bernard [2]

- Shinjiro Otani [2]

4. Manabu Nakanishi [0]

- Wataru Inoue [0]

- Togi Makabe [0]

- Satoshi Kojima [0]

Block B:

1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [2]

- Yutaka Yoshie [2]

4. Yuji Nagata [0]

- Hirooki Goto [0]

- Toru Yano [0]

- Toshiaki Kawada [0]

И така започна най-престижният ежегоден кеч tournament. Победите на Tanahashi, Nakamura & Yoshie се очакваха. Победите на Tenzan & Bernard бяха възможни, но определено не и сигурни, така че са приятна малка изненада, особено като се има предвид историята между Bernard/Kojima и Tenzan/Kawada. Най-голямата изненада досега е победата на Otani над Nakanishi. Именно подобни неща правят тазгодишния G1 Climax доста интересен за следене. Няма ясен фаворит за победител в турнира и non-NJPW кечистите в лицето на Kawada, Kojima, Otani & Yoshie добавят допълнителна интрига, тъй като не се знае каква точно е договорката между NJPW и федерациите на тези кечисти и съответно не е ясно от кой ще падат и кой ще побеждават.

[nWoHulkster]

Day two of the G1 Climax saw a couple more surprises, as well as some expected results. Wataru Inoue vs. Shinjiro Otani was a battle of two men who have things in common - both were long-term juniors who converted to the heavyweight divison after years in the lightweight class. Otani continued his excellent start to his first ever G1, defeating the younger generation Inoue with a Spiral bomb today to go 2-0 and on to four points. Wataru is already learning the difficulties of life in the heavyweight division and has a long way to go. The biggest upset of the show saw GBH's Toru Yano defeat Hiroyoshi Tenzan, who had a handicap against him again. Super powerbombed through a table after pinning Kawada the other day, Tenzan was bandaged up today and had to contend with outside interference from Iizuka, allowing Yano to score the big win with his Oni Koroshi. Manabu Nakanishi may already be out of the running for a spot in the final, after his second loss on the trot. Nakanishi has failed to follow up so far on the vigor which won him an IWGP Heavyweight Title shot and got him within a breath of the Fire Festival final, and fell to Satoshi Kojima's lariat.

Wearing black tights and red kickpads, Shinsuke Nakamura looked closer to his original self than he has in a long time today, craftily dealing with the power and bulk of DRADITION ace Yutaka Yoshie, before making him submit to a new chickenwing hold finisher, one of the many armbar variations Nakamura has been practicing in the build-up to the G1. Hirooki Goto came out charging against Toshiaki Kawada in a "battle of two great men" today and put up one hell of a fight against "Dangerous K", but you always had to feel he would come one step short, as he has against much senior opposition this year, and was eventually kept down by a running face kick. Togi Makabe avenged a string of losses to arch-rival Hiroshi Tanahashi, the local boy capping off a great day for GBH by defeating the young ace today. Like Tenzan, Tanahashi had more than Makabe to deal with, the fly-that-won't-go-away Tomoaki Honma constantly interfering, and together they damaged the leg Tanahashi has worked for months to heal. Makabe pulled out an old school Prison hold (lock) and forced Tanahashi to submit. To celebrate their big wins, Makabe and Yano left the arena in a limousine with a group of pretty young ladies.

NJPW, 8/11/08 (Samurai! TV)

Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

1. Karl Anderson beat Kazuchika Okada (4:33) with the Gun Stun.

2. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinjiro Otani [4] beat Wataru Inoue [0] (9:56) with a Spiral bomb.

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [2] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (11:50) with the Oni Koroshi.

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [2] beat Manabu Nakanishi [0] (15:15) with a lariat.

5. G1 Climax Special 8 Man Tag: Jado, Gedo, Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma beat Riki Choshu, Masahiro Chono, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (7:39) when Ishii used a brainbuster on Naito.

6. G1 Climax Special 8 Man Tag: Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask, Jushin Thunder Liger & AKIRA beat Giant Bernard, Milano Collection AT, Minoru & Prince Devitt (11:59) when AKIRA used a Musasabi press on Minoru.

7. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [4] beat Yutaka Yoshie [2] (15:20) with a chickenwing hold.

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Toshiaki Kawada [2] beat Hirooki Goto [0] (13:24) with a running face kick.

9. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe [2] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] (20:14) with a Prison hold.

Кеч турнир номер 1 продължава добре. Голяма победа за Yano (макар и с малко помощ от Iizuka, а и Tenzan още sell-ва атаката от предишното шоу) и вероятно ще си остане само с нея. Другото няма какво толкова да се коментира - всичко си е в реда на нещата. Само искам да отбележа колко много се кефя, че Makabe най-после победи Tanahashi. Makabe е един от кечистите, за които марк-вам най-много към днешна дата, така че винаги се кефя като взима подобни големи победи.

[nWoHulkster]

The 2008 G1 Climax is in a state of utter chaos after the third day, with no real breakaway wrestlers, and only two men - Bernard and Makabe - without a defeat as yet. Today's tournament matches started with no surprises, as Togi Makabe again used a Prison hold (lock) for victory, sending Wataru Inoue 0-3 in his debut tournament. Battered and bruised thanks to constant GBH attacks, Hiroyoshi Tenzan again tasted defeat today, at the hands of Hirooki Goto. Goto hit Tenzan with some heavy bombs, forcing a doctor stoppage as the ring doctor deemed Tenzan in no condition to continue. The man tipped to go far in the tournament was again stretchered out, his campaign looking bleak. Giant Bernard bested his second outsider opponent, following up on his win over Kojima by pinning Otani today. RISE's gaijin ace made Otani bleed, en route to a comprehensive victory. Nagata scored his first win of the tournament and subsequently handed Yoshie his second loss on the trot, pinning the DRADITION man in a backdrop hold. The big upset of the day saw Toru Yano counter a Nakamura cross armbreaker with a skillful cradle to unexpectedly go 2-1, wins over Tenzan and Nakamura now putting the GBH man in a surprisingly strong position. And a summer of ups and downs saw another "up" for Nakanishi, as he pinned Tanahashi in a hot main event, pinning the reigning G1 champion with a Dai*Nakanishi German to hit back after two losses on the trot.

NJPW, 8/13/08 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

0. Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Nobuo Yoshihashi (6:21) when Yujiro used a crab hold on Yoshihashi.

1. G1 Climax Special Tag: Satoshi Kojima & Milano Collection AT beat Tomohiro Ishii & Tomoaki Honma (8:59) when Kojima used a lariat on Honma.

2. G1 Climax - Block A: Togi Makabe [4] beat Wataru Inoue [0] (12:59) with a Prison hold.

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto [2] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (12:43) by doctor stop.

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard [4] beat Shinjiro Otani [4] (14:12) with the Bernard bomb.

5. G1 Climax Special Tag: Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Toshiaki Kawada & Taichi Ishikari (10:37) when Tiger used a chickenwing facelock on Ishikari.

6. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata [2] beat Yutaka Yoshie [2] (15:38) with a backdrop hold.

7. G1 Climax - Block B: Toru Yano [4] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [4] (12:53) by pinfall.

8. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi [2] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] (17:33) with the Dai*Nakanishi German.

-

Block A:

1. Togi Makabe [4]

- Giant Bernard [4]

- Shinjiro Otani [4]

4. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]

- Manabu Nakanishi [2]

- Satoshi Kojima [2]

7. Wataru Inoue [0]

Block B:

1. Shinsuke Nakamura [4]

- Toru Yano [4]

3. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

- Yuji Nagata [2]

- Hirooki Goto [2]

- Toshiaki Kawada [2]

- Yutaka Yoshie [2]

Yay! Yano с победа над Nakamura! Ето на това му се казва голяма изненада. Победата на Nakanishi също е малко изненадваща, но се радвам да видя, че Nakanishi няма да остане с празни ръце в този турнир. Стабилни победи за Makabe, Goto, Nagata & Bernard.

[nWoHulkster]

Day one of the Osaka double header saw the G1 sent into an even more chaotic state, with the only two unbeaten entrants finally pinned. Nakanishi's immense comeback after a poor start is somewhat symbolic of his up-and-down summer results-wise, today's victory over the previous unbeaten Giant Bernard proof of what he is capable of. After wins over Tenzan and Nakamura, it was back down to earth for Yano, as he was unable to topple a third former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, going down to Nagata's backdrop hold. Yoshie, on the other hand, hit back from two key losses by beating younger generation Hirooki Goto in a close match with a diving body press to move to four points. Shinjiro Otani's return to his old haunt continued to gather steam when he took the lead in Block A with a big win over Makabe. Makabe pinned Otani and beat him bloody on the opening day of the Fire Festival you'll remember, so this was sweet revenge for the ZERO1-MAX president. More revenge came in the next match, as Satoshi Kojima avenged his crucial Champion Carnival loss to Tanahashi, winning an intense war with a lariat. It seemed like months off had not effected Tanahashi when he beat Wataru on the opening day, but now he has lost three matches in a row, and the reigning G1 champions' chances of repeating last year's feat look very bleak. Shinsuke Nakamura has waited for a long time to avenge his 1/4/07 loss to the legendary Toshiaki Kawada, but had that chance today and took it. Nakamura endured most of Kawada's painful moves, then dropped him dangerously with a double-arm piledriver for the big win, his third of the campaign.

NJPW, 8/14/08 (SXW)

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

0. Mitsuhide Hirasawa beat Kazuchika Okada (5:41) with a crab hold.

1. G1 Climax Special Tag: Wataru Inoue & Tiger Mask beat Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito (9:59) when Inoue used the Oracion Flame on Yujiro.

2. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi [4] beat Giant Bernard [4] (13:17) with the Dai*Nakanishi German.

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata [4] beat Toru Yano [4] (13:10) with a backdrop hold.

4. G1 Climax - Block B: Yutaka Yoshie [4] beat Hirooki Goto [2] (14:28) with a diving body press.

5. G1 Climax Special 6 Man Tag: Masahiro Chono, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Ryusuke Taguchi beat Takashi Iizuka, Jado & Gedo (10:27) when Iizuka was DQ'd.

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Shinjiro Otani [6] beat Togi Makabe [4] (12:11) with a Spiral bomb.

7. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [4] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] (16:57) with a lariat.

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [6] beat Toshiaki Kawada [2] (14:36) with a double-arm piledriver.

-

Block A:

1. Shinjiro Otani [6]

2. Manabu Nakanishi [4]

- Togi Makabe [4]

- Giant Bernard [4]

- Satoshi Kojima [4]

6. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]

7. Wataru Inoue [0]

Block B:

1. Shinsuke Nakamura [6]

2. Yuji Nagata [4]

- Toru Yano [4]

- Yutaka Yoshie [4]

5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

- Hirooki Goto [2]

- Toshiaki Kawada [2]

Шоуто и интригата продължават да бъдат на макс. Otani, Kojima & Nakamura си връщат за предишни загуби, Nakanishi показва, че не е за подценяване, Nagata напредва и спира серията на Yano, a пък Yoshie също дава заявление, че не бива да бъде подценяван.

[G]

Tanahashi върви много зле Резултатите са интересни наистина както и цялостното шоу, но хич не е и чудно това.

[nWoHulkster]

Tanahashi върви много зле Резултатите са интересни наистина както и цялостното шоу, но хич не е и чудно това.

Нормално е да върви зле. Тъкмо се върна от контузия и все още "не е влязал във форма", което си е класически японски booking. Иначе шансовете му да вземе следващите два мача не са малки. С Bernard може и да се озори, но не би трябвало да има проблеми с Otani.

[nWoHulkster]

About 10,000 fans witnessed two days of chaotic action at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium, today's finale to the two shows there still leaving us baffled as to who will clinch the precious two spots that lead to the final. Satoshi Kojima is certainly a candidate, the All Japan star making sure he won both of his Osaka matches by lariating younger generation Hamaguchi Dojo graduate Wataru Inoue today to move on to six points. Kawada also stayed in the hunt, pinning Yano, whose momentum has stalled somewhat after earlier big wins. Nakanishi is the comeback king of the tournament so far, his win over Makabe today meaning he's gone from a 0-2 record to 3-2. If Nakanishi beats Wataru tomorrow - and you'd fancy his chances - he'll sit on eight points, though it will still be unlikely that advances due to direct losses to Otani and Kojima, and both having two matches left, needing to win only one of them to finalize with 100% certainty that they finish above Nakanishi.

Hiroyoshi Tenzan's G1, which started so brightly when he pinned Kawada, has been ruined by the very group he created, the very group he's engaged in a bloody war all year with, GBH. Their vicious assault after his match with Kawada left him badly injured, and his opponents since have just exploited that, as one has to in the G1 - for there is no room for niceness in a tournament as cutthroat as this. Nagata synched in his Nagata Lock IV, and despite a brave struggle and refusal to tap, Tenzan couldn't move and the referee stopped the match. To add insult to injuries, GBH again hit the ring and beat down Tenzan, though there was finally some relief today, as Kojima ran in to save him. Hiroshi Tanahashi's chances of repeating last year's victory are over. His FOURTH loss on the trot today left him dead bottom of Block A and out of contention. The "ring rust" excuse may be a valid one for Tanahashi, who would surely fare better than this normally. He will look for a consolation prize when he tackles the on-form Otani on the last day. And in the battle of RISE, second-in-command beat leader, Hirooki Goto scoring a huge win over Nakamura with his Shouten. Goto survived the cross armbreaker and stalled Nakamura's hopes of what may have been early qualification to the final.

TNA's Kurt Angle and AJ Styles arrived today for the first of two appearances, facing each other in a tag. Angle formed a dream team with Chono and they were simply too good for Otani & Styles, Angle forcing Styles to tap out to an ankle lock. Tomorrow they are on opposite sides again, only with Nakamura and Tanahashi thrown into the equation this time.

NJPW, 8/15/08 (Samurai! TV)

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

0. Jado & Gedo beat Mitsuhide Hirasawa & Nobuo Yoshihashi (6:52) when Jado used the Crossface of JADO on Yoshihashi.

1. G1 Climax Special 6 Man Tag: Yutaka Yoshie, Yujiro & Tetsuya Naito beat Tiger Mask, Ryusuke Taguchi & Kazuchika Okada (10:58) when Yujiro used a diving headbutt on Okada.

2. G1 Climax - Block A: Satoshi Kojima [6] beat Wataru Inoue [0] (12:39) with a lariat.

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Toshiaki Kawada [4] beat Toru Yano [4] (8:38) with a running face kick.

4. G1 Climax - Block A: Manabu Nakanishi [6] beat Togi Makabe [4] (9:31) with the Dai*Nakanishi German.

5. G1 Climax - Block B: Yuji Nagata [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (11:34) by referee stop.

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Giant Bernard [6] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] (13:51) with the Bernard bomb.

7. G1 Climax Special Tag: Kurt Angle & Masahiro Chono beat Shinjiro Otani & AJ Styles (16:21) when Angle used an ankle lock on Styles.

8. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto [4] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [6] (14:22) with the Shouten.

-

Block A:

1. Shinjiro Otani [6]

2. Manabu Nakanishi [6]

- Togi Makabe [4]

- Giant Bernard [4]

- Satoshi Kojima [6]

6. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]

7. Wataru Inoue [0]

Block B:

1. Shinsuke Nakamura [6]

2. Yuji Nagata [6]

3. Hirooki Goto [4]

- Toru Yano [4]

- Toshiaki Kawada [4]

- Yutaka Yoshie [4]

7. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

Победите на Kojima, Kawada & Nagata бяха очаквани, но поне се радвам, че зад серията от загуби на Tenzan има сериозна история. Nakanishi нещо много взе да се развихря през последните няколко дена. Чесно казано не очаквах да направи такива победи, но лошо няма. Tanahashi продължава да губи, в което също няма нищо лошо, още повече като се има предвид, че това значи победа за Bernard. И не на последно място, доста стабилна победа за Goto, което също ме радва доста.

[G]

Много добре върви Kojima за сега.. надявам се да се извлече нещо от това за нататък много жалко, че Tanahashi падна и от Bernard, но какво да се прави както nWoHulkster отбеляза има ясни причини за това. Добре вървят нещата.. бтв Nagata как е нали имаше някакви проблеми с главата?

[nWoHulkster]

^ Екстра си е Nagata. Нищо му няма. Мачка наред във враждата между NJPW и Zero-One MAX - вражда сериозен кандидат за puro вражда на годината.

Day one of the Sumo Hall double header saw more unpredictable action in the G1. Wataru Inoue finally took his first major heavyweight scalp, sneaking a flash win over Nakanishi and showing that anything can happen in the G1. Nakanishi had been on a winning streak, but this loss ended his chances of reaching the final once more. Hirooki Goto, however, does still have a chance after winning his generation battle with Toru Yano, moving to six points after hitting the Shouten. Yutaka Yoshie did likewise, taking advantage of Tenzan's ravaged state to win a still competitive match with his diving body press. The war between Tenzan and GBH is likely to escalate still after the G1, since their early mob attack cost him his health and form. Makabe managed to grab his third win of the tournament by pinning Giant Bernard, a battle of the last two men who had been unbeaten in the tournament until recently. Makabe fired back from two losses on the run by dropping his King Kong knee on Bernard. A battle of two old New Japan favourites that have since moved on to other companies ended in a deadlock, and left both tied at the top of Block A. Kojima vs. Otani was an exciting match, but 30 minutes wasn't enough for them today, both having to settle for a point each. In a return dream match from a few years ago, Toshiaki Kawada managed to avoid a third defeat in the G1 to top line New Japan opposition by pinning Nagata. Nagata joined the growing number of wrestlers to leave on a stretcher after succumbing to Dangerous K's running face kick.

Two big non-tournament matches also took place today. Minoru & Devitt vs. Liger & AKIRA was their THIRD match over the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Title this year. The Legend duo won the first earlier in '08 to cut short the momentum the younger team had gathered by lifting the belts from Dick Togo & TAKA Michinoku, but the RISE duo recently scored their revenge and took the belts back. In what seems to have been the decisive battle for the year between them, they made a successful V1 defense today, Devitt again pinning AKIRA. Today's main event was not a tournament match at all, but a dream tag match, featuring the four men who comprised the big NJ vs. TNA singles matches in the same building this February. On that day, Nakamura submitted Angle and Tanahashi pinned AJ, and it was those opponents who teamed in what was a hot match. What has turned out to be a fairly miserable tour for Tana continued, as he went down to an Angle slam, and will hope for some consolation tomorrow when he tackles Otani in his last G1 match.

NJPW, 8/16/08 (SXW)

Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

0. Tomohiro Ishii, Tomoaki Honma & Karl Anderson beat Yujiro, Tetsuya Naito & Kazuchika Okada (8:30) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Okada.

1. G1 Climax Block A: Wataru Inoue [2] beat Manabu Nakanishi [6] (8:38) with a modified Triangle Lancer.

2. G1 Climax Block B: Hirooki Goto [6] beat Toru Yano [4] (9:11) with the Shouten.

3. G1 Climax Block B: Yutaka Yoshie [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (15:09) with a Diving Body Press.

4. G1 Climax Block A: Togi Makabe [6] beat Giant Bernard [6] 10:56 with a diving King Kong Knee Drop.

5. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Minoru & Prince Devitt © beat Jushin Thunder Liger and AKIRA (18:09) when Devitt used the Prince's Throne on AKIRA (1st Defense).

6. G1 Climax Block A: Satoshi Kojima [7] vs. Shinjiro Otani [7] went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired.

7. G1 Climax Block B: Toshiaki Kawada [6] beat Yuji Nagata [6] (16:38) with a running face kick.

8. G1 World War II "Dominance & Intensity": Shinsuke Nakamura & Kurt Angle beat Hiroshi Tanahashi & AJ Styles (14:09) when Angle used the Olympic Slam on Tanahashi.

Block A:

1. Shinjiro Otani [7]

- Satoshi Kojima [7]

3. Manabu Nakanishi [6]

- Togi Makabe [6]

- Giant Bernard [6]

6. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]

- Wataru Inoue [2]

Block B:

1. Shinsuke Nakamura [6]

- Yuji Nagata [6]

- Yutaka Yoshie [6]

- Hirooki Goto [6]

- Toshiaki Kawada [6]

6. Toru Yano [4]

7. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

Лол най-накрая дадоха победа на Inoue колкото да не е без нищо. Jericho очевидно позна колко добро ще е представянето на Inoue в турнира... Днешните резултати няма какво толкова да се коментират. Всичко си е нормално. На хартия всички без Yano, Tenzan, Tanahashi, Inoue & Nakanishi могат да се класират на финала, така че все още нищо не е сигурно и всичко ще си дойде на мястото чак утре.

[shile]

Очаквах по подобен начин да завържат нещата преди последния ден.В Block A утре Tanahashi бие Otani и по този начин го изхвърля от борбата,но от там нататък нищо не ми е ясно.Kojima,Makabe и Giant Bernard изглеждат със сериозни шансове.Тук е мястото да попитам какво се прави,ако първите двама кечисти завършат с равни точки.Допълнителен мач помежду им или се гледа кой е победител в прекия им двубой?В Block B още преди турнира Nakamura ми беше основен фаворит,сега и там доста се заплетоха работите,Nagata и Kawada въобще не са за отписване,и въпреки това продължавам да смятам,че Nakamura ще спечели.Много интересно ще е утре,мисля да не чета резултатите,а да чакам за шоуто,което до понеделник би трябвало да го има все някъде.А и също така съм леко разочарован,че са дали само 14 минути на днескашния main event.

[nWoHulkster]

Тук е мястото да попитам какво се прави,ако първите двама кечисти завършат с равни точки.Допълнителен мач помежду им или се гледа кой е победител в прекия им двубой?

Победителя от директния сблъсък.

Все още няма да пускам резултатите от финала, тъй като чакам да излезнат подробните резултати. Само ще кажа, че финала и победителя са много, много приятна изненада за мен.