NJPW G1 Climax 22

[nWoHulkster]

Отново е време за турнир/tournament №1 в света на кеча:

Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi

2. Yuji Nagata

3. Satoshi Kojima

4. Karl Anderson

5. Shelton Benjamin

6. Toru Yano

7. Yujiro Takahashi

8. Minoru Suzuki

9. Naomichi Marufuji

Block B:

1. Togi Makabe

2. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

3. Hirooki Goto

4. Tetsuya Naito

5. MVP

6. Rush

7. Shinsuke Nakamura

8. Kazuchika Okada

9. Lance Archer

NJPW, 8/1/12 (Asahi Newstar)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Rush

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Karl Anderson

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Lance Archer

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Kazuchika Okada

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Shelton Benjamin

NJPW, 8/3/12 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Yujiro Takahashi

2. G1 Climax – Block B: Rush vs. Lance Archer

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Toru Yano

4. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson vs. Minoru Suzuki

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Naomichi Marufuji

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. MVP

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

8. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Kazuchika Okada

NJPW, 8/4/12 (J SPORTS)

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson vs. Yujiro Takahashi

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Toru Yano

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. MVP

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Rush vs. Kazuchika Okada

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan

6. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Naomichi Marufuji

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

NJPW, 8/5/12 (WPW)

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Yujiro Takahashi

2. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP vs. Rush

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Lance Archer

4. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson vs. Shelton Benjamin

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano vs. Minoru Suzuki

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Tetsuya Naito

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kazuchika Okada

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Naomichi Marufuji

NJPW, 8/7/12 (Samurai! TV)

Sendai Sun Plaza Hall

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Rush

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Yujiro Takahashi

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Karl Anderson

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Hirooki Goto

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Lance Archer vs. Kazuchika Okada

6. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Minoru Suzuki vs. Naomichi Marufuji

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Toru Yano

NJPW, 8/8/12 (Samurai! TV)

Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson vs. Naomichi Marufuji

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Rush

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Lance Archer

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. MVP

6. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Yuji Nagata

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki

NJPW, 8/10/12 (J SPORTS)

Niigata City Gymnasium

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito vs. Lance Archer

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Shelton Benjamin

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. MVP

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Rush

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson vs. Toru Yano

6. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Minoru Suzuki

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yujiro Takahashi

8. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Kazuchika Okada

NJPW, 8/11/12 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Rush vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Toru Yano

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Minoru Suzuki

4. G1 Climax – Block A: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Yujiro Takahashi

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Tetsuya Naito

6. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP vs. Kazuchika Okada

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Hirooki Goto

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata

NJPW, 8/12/12 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

1. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP vs. Lance Archer

2. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Tetsuya Naito

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe vs. Kazuchika Okada

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Naomichi Marufuji vs. Toru Yano

6. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima vs. Shelton Benjamin

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Karl Anderson

9. G1 Climax – Final: Block A 1st place vs. Block B 1st place

[nWoHulkster]

Цялата пресконференция:

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/1/12 (Asahi Newstar)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

2,020 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Rush [2] beat Hirooki Goto [0] (8:02) with the Rush Driver.

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Minoru Suzuki [2] beat Yujiro Takahashi [0] (8:05) with a Gotch-style piledriver.

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson [2] beat Yuji Nagata [0] (11:28) with the Gun Stun.

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Lance Archer [2] beat Togi Makabe [0] (9:55) with the Blackout.

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Naomichi Marufuji [2] beat Satoshi Kojima [0] (11:37) with a huracanrana.

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Kazuchika Okada [2] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [0] (11:20) with the Rainmaker.

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito [2] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [0] (13:39) with a Stardust press.

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [2] beat Shelton Benjamin [0] (13:54) with the High Fly Flow.

* An exciting first day of the 2012 at an again packed Korakuen Hall saw plenty of surprise results and some expected ones, Tanahashi closing the show with a victory over Shelton Benjamin. Naito scored another big win over Nakamura in the semi final, while Okada defeated Tenzan in their first ever singles match. Marufuji stunned Kojima with a quick huracanrana to ensure it was a bad opening day for the IWGP Tag Team Champions, while Archer upset Makabe and Anderson did likewise to Nagata. The first match of the 2012 G1 saw yet another surprise in what was a rematch from January’s “FANTASTICA MANIA 2012″ with a reverse result, CMLL’s Rush pinning Hirooki Goto.

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/3/12 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

1,950 Fans – Super No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Yujiro Takahashi [2] beat Satoshi Kojima [0] (8:34) with the Tokyo Pimps.

2. G1 Climax – Block B: Rush [4] beat Lance Archer [2] (7:30) with a small package hold.

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata [2] beat Toru Yano [0] (10:01) with a backdrop hold.

4. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson [4] beat Minoru Suzuki [2] (12:22) with the Gun Stun.

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin [2] beat Naomichi Marufuji [2] (7:54) with the Paydirt.

6. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [2] beat Togi Makabe [0] (9:30) with the Irreversible Crisis.

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [2] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [0] (13:31) with the Shouten Kai.

8. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito [4] beat Kazuchika Okada [2] (21:59) with a Stardust press.

* Is it the year of Tetsuya Naito? Day two of the G1 saw more excitement and upsets with the biggest result seeing Naito defeat “Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada in a rematch of their March classic in the same building for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. Last year’s finalist Naito has now beaten Nakamura and Okada, arguably his two toughest opponents, on back to back shows. A bad day for CHAOS also saw Nakamura lose again in another rematch, this time from his very recent IWGP Intercontinental Title win against Hirooki Goto, putting Shinsuke at 0-2. Makabe also slipped to 0-2 after a defeat against MVP, while Shelton Benjamin bounced back from his opening day loss to Tanahashi by beating NOAH’s Naomichi Marufuji to match Maru’s 1-1 record. Karl Anderson has started the G1 well with two wins, today’s huge victory over Suzuki moving him to 4pts, while the man he defeated on day one Nagata beat Yano meaning another loss for CHAOS on a bad day for the group. CMLL’s Rush is off to a flying start and picked up his second victory today by beating Suzuki Gun’s Lance Archer. And Yujiro Takahashi made sure it wasn’t a complete defeat for CHAOS with a huge win over 2010 G1 winner Kojima.

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Block A:

1. Karl Anderson [4]

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi [2]

- Yuji Nagata [2]

- Yujiro Takahashi [2]

- Minoru Suzuki [2]

- Shelton Benjamin [2]

- Naomichi Marufuji [2]

8. Satoshi Kojima [0]

- Toru Yano [0]

Block B:

1. Tetsuya Naito [4]

- Rush [4]

3. Hirooki Goto [2]

- Kazuchika Okada [2]

- MVP [2]

- Lance Archer [2]

7. Togi Makabe [0]

- Hiroyoshi Tenzan [0]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [0]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/4/12 (J SPORTS)

Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium

8,000 Fans – No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Yujiro Takahashi [4] beat Karl Anderson [4] (10:16) with the Tokyo Pimps.

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin [4] beat Toru Yano [0] (8:11) with the Paydirt.

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [4] beat MVP [2] (9:19) with a modified neck lock.

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Kazuchika Okada [4] beat Rush [4] (9:20) with the Rainmaker.

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [2] beat Lance Archer [2] (12:11) with the Boma Ye.

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] beat Togi Makabe [0] (11:58) with a moonsault press.

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata [4] beat Naomichi Marufuji [2] (13:04) with a backdrop hold.

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] beat Satoshi Kojima [0] (17:41) with the High Fly Flow.

* Day three saw fewer upsets than the opening Korakuen double header, as Tanahashi defeated Kojima in a rematch of the 2010 G1 Climax and Nagata pinned NOAH’s Marufuji with his backdrop hold in the semi final. In a former battle of GBH leaders, 3-time G1 Climax winner Tenzan defeated Makabe who has made a poor start to the campaign with three losses in a row. Nakamura did what Makabe couldn’t and got off the mark following his own bad start, pinning Lance Archer, while the Rainmaker was quick to retaliate from yesterday’s loss to Naito by pinning Rush. Goto, Benjamin, and Yujiro all moved to 4pts with important wins, Yujiro having quietly made a really good start with back to back wins over Kojima and Anderson.

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Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]

- Yuji Nagata [4]

- Karl Anderson [4]

- Yujiro Takahashi [4]

- Shelton Benjamin [4]

6. Minoru Suzuki [2]

- Naomichi Marufuji [2]

8. Satoshi Kojima [0]

- Toru Yano [0]

Block B:

1. Hirooki Goto [4]

- Tetsuya Naito [4]

- Kazuchika Okada [4]

- Rush [4]

5. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [2]

- MVP [2]

- Lance Archer [2]

9. Togi Makabe [0]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/5/12 (WPW/iPPV)

Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium

6,500 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Yujiro Takahashi [6] beat Yuji Nagata [4] (9:31) with the Tokyo Pimps.

2. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [4] beat Rush [4] (7:53) with the Irreversible Crisis.

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Lance Archer [4] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2] (10:57) with the Dark Days.

4. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson [6] beat Shelton Benjamin [4] (9:15) with the Gun Stun.

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano [2] beat Minoru Suzuki [2] (8:05) with the Uragasumi.

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe [2] beat Tetsuya Naito [4] (14:10) with a King Kong kneedrop.

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [4] beat Kazuchika Okada [4] (16:16) with the Boma Ye.

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Naomichi Marufuji [4] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [4] (21:29) with the Tiger Frosion.

* Naomichi Marufuji bounced back from successive losses in the best way possible at another sold out Osaka show by scoring his first ever win over Hiroshi Tanahashi in an action-packed main event. This huge win for Marufuji was followed by him challenging Tana to an IWGP Heavyweight Title match irrespective of the outcome of the G1 Climax. In an equally big match the two head honchos of CHAOS, Nakamura and Okada, met in their first singles match with Shinsuke pulling off a big win that perhaps eases the theory that Okada has overtaken him as CHAOS leader. Makabe stalled Naito’s momentum by finally getting off the mark while Yano scored an upset over Minoru Suzuki. Karl Anderson and Yujiro have had fantastic starts to the tournament, and both are now on 6pts, Yujiro scoring yet another big win today by beating Nagata – meaning he has defeated Kojima, Anderson, and Nagata on successive shows. Lance Archer also won big by overcoming Tenzan while Rush’s good start has been slowed down and he lost to MVP today.

* Word has it 21,615 people in Japan watched New Japan’s first ever iPPV, which if true is a huge success for a first time attempt and that number would also make the NJPW iPPV the most ordered wrestling iPPV by any company so far.

Block A:

1. Yujiro Takahashi [6]

2. Karl Anderson [6]

3. Hiroshi Tanahashi [4]

- Yuji Nagata [4]

- Naomichi Marufuji [4]

- Shelton Benjamin [4]

7. Minoru Suzuki [2]

8. Satoshi Kojima [0]

- Toru Yano [2]

Block B:

1. Hirooki Goto [4]

- Tetsuya Naito [4]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [4]

- Kazuchika Okada [4]

- MVP [4]

- Lance Archer [4]

- Rush [4]

8. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [2]

9. Togi Makabe [2]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/7/12 (Samurai! TV)

Sendai Sun Plaza Hall

2,500 Fans

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Rush [6] beat Tetsuya Naito [4] (9:39) with the Rush Driver.

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Shelton Benjamin [6] beat Yujiro Takahashi [6] (7:40) with the Paydirt.

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima [2] beat Karl Anderson [6] (12:47) with a lariat.

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4] beat Hirooki Goto [4] (13:39) with a moonsault press.

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Kazuchika Okada [6] beat Lance Archer [4] (10:46) with the Rainmaker.

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [6] beat MVP [4] (12:14) with the Boma Ye.

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Minoru Suzuki [4] beat Naomichi Marufuji [4] (14:49) with a Gotch-style piledriver.

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] beat Toru Yano [2] (14:18) with the High Fly Flow.

* Tanahashi bounced back immediately today from his shock defeat to Marufuji with a victory over old enemy Yano, while Marufuji himself wasn’t able to use the momentum from his win over Tanahashi to any effect as he was beaten by former GHC Tag Team Title holding partner Suzuki. Nakamura’s poor start to the tournament is now a distant memory and he beat MVP today while his CHAOS cohort Okada quickly forgot about his loss to Nakamura in Osaka by sinking Lance Archer. Tenzan showed that he can keep up with the younger generation still by defeating Goto while his sworn friend and tag partner Kojima finally got his awful G1 so far off and running with a victory over the Machine Gun. The big upset of the show came in the opener as CMLL’s Rush picked up a huge win over one of the early tournament favourites Naito, keeping Rush well in contention. Naito was stretchered out with a knee injury after the match, unclear yet whether it will cause him to forfeit any matches.

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Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [6]

- Karl Anderson [6]

- Yujiro Takahashi [6]

- Shelton Benjamin [6]

5. Yuji Nagata [4]

- Minoru Suzuki [4

- Naomichi Marufuji [4]]

8. Satoshi Kojima [2]

- Toru Yano [2]

Block B:

1. Shinsuke Nakamura [6]

- Kazuchika Okada [6]

- Rush [6]

4. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [4]

- Tetsuya Naito [4]

- MVP [4]

- Minoru Suzuki [4]

- Lance Archer [4]

9. Togi Makabe [2]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/8/12 (Samurai! TV)

Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium

5,300 Fans – No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax – Block A: Naomichi Marufuji [6] beat Karl Anderson [6] (9:14) with the Twist Donut.

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano [4] beat Yujiro Takahashi [6] (7:34) with the Oni Koroshi.

3. G1 Climax – Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] beat Rush [6] (9:30) with a moonsault press.

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Lance Archer [6] beat Hirooki Goto [4] (9:41) with the Blackout.

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito [6] beat MVP [4] (9:33) with the Polvo de Estrellas.

6. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima [4] beat Yuji Nagata [4] (13:52) with a lariat.

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe [4] beat Shinsuke Nakamura [6] (14:12) with a King Kong kneedrop.

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Minoru Suzuki [6] beat Hiroshi Tanahashi [6] (20:53) with a Gotch-style piledriver.

* The G1 Climax is in a confused state after today’s show in Yokohama with no runaway leaders and no one out of contention either. All 18 participants sit on either 6pts or 4pts, meaning there is everything to fight for. Today’s results only made things more muddled as several lagging behind caught up. Minoru Suzuki was one of them, the Suzuki Gun leading pulling off a big main event win over Tanahashi in a rematch from January’s Tokyo Dome show where Tanahashi broke the IWGP Heavyweight Title defense record. Local boy Makabe who has made a habit of winning on the annual Yokohama show also won big with a victory over old rival Nakamura, while in a third generation battle Satoshi Kojima continued to repair his G1 by sinking Nagata with a lariat. Naito bounced back from two losses in a row by beating MVP while Lance Archer gave Goto’s hopes of a second G1 a setback. Tenzan defeated Rush and Marufuji opened the show with a win over Karl Anderson with something called the “Twist Donut” (not “Donut Twist” even though that rolls off the tongue easier).

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Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [6]

- Karl Anderson [6]

- Yujiro Takahashi [6]

- Naomichi Marufuji [6]

- Shelton Benjamin [6]

6. Yuji Nagata [4]

- Satoshi Kojima [4]

- Minoru Suzuki [4]

- Toru Yano [4]

Block B:

1. Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]

- Tetsuya Naito [6]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [6]

- Kazuchika Okada [6]

- Lance Archer [6]

- Rush [6]

7. Togi Makabe [4]

- Hirooki Goto [4]

- MVP [4]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/10/12 (J SPORTS)

Niigata City Gymnasium

5,200 Fans – No Vacancy

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Lance Archer [8] beat Tetsuya Naito [6] (10:41) with the Blackout.

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Yuji Nagata [6] beat Shelton Benjamin [6] (9:52) with a backdrop hold.

3. G1 Climax – Block B: MVP [6] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] (9:35) with the Irreversible Crisis.

4. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe [6] beat Rush [6] (7:17) with a King Kong kneedrop.

5. G1 Climax – Block A: Karl Anderson [8] beat Toru Yano [4] (9:14) with the Gun Stun.

6. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima [6] beat Minoru Suzuki [6] (13:33) with a lariat.

7. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [8] beat Yujiro Takahashi [6] (14:23) with the High Fly Flow.

8. G1 Climax – Block B: Hirooki Goto [6] beat Kazuchika Okada [6] (18:36) with the Shouten Kai.

* Hirooki Goto avenged his May Fukuoka loss to Kazuchika Okada today to boost his chances of winning a second G1 Climax. But after today’s results things are still very tight in both blocks, even though there are clear leaders now unlike yesterday. Tanahashi’s win over Yujiro and Karl Anderson’s over Yano meant those two moved into joint 1st position in Block A ahead of six men all on 6pts. Lance Archer is the surprise leader of Block B after his win over Naito today, Naito still carrying a knee injury that is limiting him. This moves him to 8pts with EVERYONE under him now on 6pts. The other big result of the show saw Kojima lariat Minoru Suzuki to continue an impressive comeback after a poor start to the G1.

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Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [8]

- Karl Anderson [8]

3. Yuji Nagata [6]

- Satoshi Kojima [6]

- Yujiro Takahashi [6]

- Minoru Suzuki [6]

- Naomichi Marufuji [6]

- Shelton Benjamin [6]

9. Toru Yano [4]

Block B:

1. Lance Archer [8]

2. Togi Makabe [6]

- Hirooki Goto [6]

- Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]

- Tetsuya Naito [6]

- MVP [6]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [6]

- Kazuchika Okada [6]

- Rush [6]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW, 8/11/12 (Samurai! TV)

Tokyo Korakuen Hall

2,040 Fans – Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax – Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [8] beat Rush [6] (10:07) with the Boma Ye.

2. G1 Climax – Block A: Satoshi Kojima [8] beat Toru Yano [4] (9:03) with a lariat.

3. G1 Climax – Block A: Minoru Suzuki [8] beat Shelton Benjamin [6] (10:45) with a Gotch-style piledriver.

4. G1 Climax – Block A: Naomichi Marufuji [8] beat Yujiro Takahashi [6] (8:34) with the Tiger Frosion.

5. G1 Climax – Block B: Tetsuya Naito [8] beat Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6] (13:27) with a cradle.

6. G1 Climax – Block B: Kazuchika Okada [8] beat MVP [6] (10:44) with the Rainmaker.

7. G1 Climax – Block B: Togi Makabe [8] beat Hirooki Goto [6] (13:31) with a King Kong kneedrop.

8. G1 Climax – Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [10] beat Yuji Nagata [6] (17:24) with the High Fly Flow.

* IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi, is a victory over Karl Anderson away from reaching the G1 Climax final after pinning Nagata today at an again packed Korakuen Hall. This moves Tanahashi ahead of the two pack but with four men on his heels, including two with direct victories over him (Marufuji and Suzuki), meaning if they win and he loses tomorrow they could go into the final ahead of him. Marufuji (over Yujiro) and Suzuki (over Benjamin) both ensured they could still reach the final with wins today, while Kojima who started the tournament with three losses in a row is also on 8pts. Block B is anyone’s guess with two clusters of wrestlers, five on 8pts and four on 6pts. Makabe’s win over Goto followed up on Okada sinking MVP with his Rainmaker. Despite an injured knee that has cost him some results, Tetsuya Naito summoned his fighting spirit to defeat Tenzan and in the opening match Nakamura also moved to 8pts with a victory over Rush.

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Block A:

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [10]

2. Satoshi Kojima [8]

- Karl Anderson [8]

- Minoru Suzuki [8]

- Naomichi Marufuji [8]

6. Yuji Nagata [6]

- Yujiro Takahashi [6]

- Shelton Benjamin [6]

9. Toru Yano [4]

Block B:

1. Togi Makabe [8]

- Tetsuya Naito [8]

- Shinsuke Nakamura [8]

- Kazuchika Okada [8]

- Lance Archer [8]

6. Hirooki Goto [6]

- Hiroyoshi Tenzan [6]

- MVP [6]

- Rush [6]

[nWoHulkster]

NJPW "NJPW 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR ~ G1 CLIMAX 22 ~THE ONE AND ONLY~", 08/12/2012 (WPW/PPV)

Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan

11,500 Fans - Super No Vacancy Full House

1. G1 Climax - Block B: MVP (8) beat Lance Archer (8) in 9:50 with the Irreversible Crisis.

2. G1 Climax - Block B: Hiroyoshi Tenzan (8) beat Shinsuke Nakamura (8) in 12:48 with a moonsault press.

3. G1 Climax - Block B: Hirooki Goto (8) beat Tetsuya Naito (8) in 11:05 with the Shouten Kai.

4. G1 Climax - Block B: Kazuchika Okada (10) beat Togi Makabe (8) with the Rainmaker in 9:33 to win Block B.

5. G1 Climax - Block A: Shelton Benjamin (8) beat Satoshi Kojima (8) in 9:04 with the Paydirt.

6. G1 Climax - Block A: Toru Yano (6) beat Naomichi Marufuji (8) in 9:55 with the Akakiri.

7. G1 Climax - Block A: Yuji Nagata (8) beat Minoru Suzuki (8) in 9:03 with the Backdrop hold.

8. G1 Climax - Block A: Karl Anderson (10) beat Hiroshi Tanahashi (10) in 11:15 with the Gun Stun to win Block A.

9. G1 Climax - Final: Kazuchika Okada beat Karl Anderson in 23:19 with the Rainmaker to win the 2012 G1 Climax.

2012 is the year of the Rainmaker! After his January return to New Japan from a lengthy learning excursion and then an impressive first IWGP Heavyweight Title reign, Kazuchika Okada today became the youngest G1 Climax winner in history. Okada’s win over Makabe ensured he won Block B but the real surprise came in Block A as Karl Anderson took a big step forward by pinning Tanahashi to win Block A and thus becoming the first foreigner to be in the G1 finals since Rick Rude 20 years ago to the day. Unfortunately for the Machine Gun, his match came right before the final so he went into it at something of a disadvantage. The brilliant Okada made full use of his extra rest to defeat Anderson in yet another exciting G1 final to win the tournament and move back into top contendership for the IWGP Heavyweight Title that he lost in June to Tanahashi. His challenge could be delayed until 1/4/13 as Gedo wants to ensure the hottest property in Japanese pro wrestling wins back his title on the biggest stage.

The popular Japanese singer DAIGO sang the Japanese national anthem before the final and was the one who handed Okada his trophy afterwards.

Okada and Rainmaker were both trending on Twitter in Japan.

New Japan trueborn and formerly 1/3 of the New 3 Musketeers with Tanahashi and Nakamura, Katsuyori Shibata, returned to New Japan after many years today alongside the legendary Kazushi Sakuraba. Shibata was met by huge cheers by fans who remembered just how exciting he was before his petulant exit from New Japan to follow the thankfully long forgotten Fumihiko Uwai. Shibata has spent many years in MMA mediocrity and introduced his friend Sakuraba, the two announcing they had arrived (or returned, Sakuraba was part of the legendary New Japan vs. UWF-I feud in the mid-90s) in New Japan.

G1 Climax Group Stage Final Standings:

Block A:

1. Karl Anderson [10]

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi [10]

3. Yuji Nagata [8]

4. Satoshi Kojima [8]

- Minoru Suzuki [8]

- Shelton Benjamin [8]

7. Naomichi Marufuji [8]

8. Toru Yano [6]

9. Yujiro Takahashi [6]

Block B:

1. Kazuchika Okada [10]

2. Lance Archer [8]

3. Togi Makabe [8]

- Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8]

- Hirooki Goto [8]

- Tetsuya Naito [8]

- MVP [8]

8. Shinsuke Nakamura [8]

9. Rush [6]

[nWoHulkster]