That was quite simply... the greatest wrestling tournament. Truly. So many stories were told, it was deeper than any of the G1's I had seen prior. I kept up to date watching the whole time but didn't really have time to post here. I work from home now so In was watching while working. There were really so many highlights. I was entertained way more by B block throughout. I think maybe because it had newer stars. I had seen many of the A block matchups before in previous years. I just wanna go through everybody and give my thoughts:
Tanahashi: Huge respect to him for working through this whole thing with his injury. Putting over Sabre and Ibushi was tremendous. I was slightly annoyed that he was in the running to win for so long, I felt his injury should've been the perfect excuse to let him take a back seat and someone else have the spotlight. But that animosity vanished against Naito in their decision match. Yet another classic match.
Makabe: Unimpressive compared to previous years. He's a pretty big deal in Japan though so I understand his value. Props to him tapping out to Sabre, never though his ego would allow that lol
Nagata: OUTSTANDING run. Totally shocked me. Every single match of his kicked ass and he put over everyone he faced. Fale bowing to him and the crowd holding all of those Nagata sings... What a moment for a legend of a wrestler.
Ibushi: I guess him refusing to sign a contract means he was not getting as many points as he should. His matches were very varied. The Naito and Fale matches were really something. That ECW style dive from the stands... I don't really like Ibushi's new finisher though. It looks much weaker than a V Trigger.
Goto: Compared to everyone else he didn't leave much of an impression this year. A shame because I really like him. There's just so much other shit going on.
Ishii: Continues to be such a badass. He's beaten Naito twice now so I expect that to he his next feud. A Tanahashi win and IC title match would've been nice.
Yoshi: Worst guy in the tournament for me. Just incredibly... Average in all areas. He was pretty much the worst matchup for everyone. His match with Nagata was the only standout for him.
Fale: Fale is Fale. He was booked well and after murdering Daryl became a mega heel. Then bowed to Nagata. A nice arc for him. He also beat Naito to my surprise.
Zack: A VERY welcome addition. His style really is great for this tournament because his matches are so different it broke the flow nicely. However I don't want him as IC champ. Tana needs to drop the belt but I say drop that to Ibushi. Speaking of which Ibushi vs Zack was a really nice match, a CWC "what if"!
Naito: Incredibly happy for him. The perfect choice to win. The most over man in the company. He gets the biggest reactions and he sells the most merchandise. Not the most consistent in this tournament but when he delivered, did he fucking deliver. Against Ibushi, Tanahashi, Omega, all three solid gold matches. His post win promo talking about his 2013 G1 win was great, about how it wasn't really "him". Now he can finally main even Wrestle Kingdom. A main event that was stolen from him 4 years prior. A phenomenal story.
Kojima: People seem to think he's slowed down due to age, but I believe it was deliberate. His story of being a veteran whose time is coming was great. He showed flashes of his true self. I think in the next couple of years he'll to out just like Nagata did.
Elgin: Tremendous in this tournament. Okada, Omega, Suzuki, he did well against all of them. But also lost to Tonga and Yano in hilarious fashion. He can really go anywhere on the card.
Juice: Probably the beat pure babyface going now. He's adored and his struggle was great to watch, from his injury to the squash against Suzuki, to the great post match promos, to the surprise win over Omega. HUGE pop for that. Then he beats Elgin in a great match that was completely overshadowed... Comparing him to his Wrestle Kingdom 11 self, he has improved a hell of a lot.
Okada: Great fucking run. Every single match delivered. He basically played a heel for this entire tournament. Beating on Kojima, th Tenzan whonwasnt even in the match! He could've easily gone undefeated and his super cockiness going crazy in his entrances was hilarious to see. His post match promos were savage "I'm just too strong, I'm sorry!!" Then losing to Evil was superb. Twice the pride, double the fall as Could Dooku once said. Oh and of course ANOTHER classic with Omega finally losing to him.
Yano: Really impressed me this year. I was sick of him but his matches were incredibly creative and memorable. Sanada, Okada, Elgin, Omega and that fucking Suzuki match. They were all hilarious.
Omega: Yet again an excellent showcase of what a brilliant all around talent Omega is. From Suzuki, to the BC civil war, to hilarious comedy with Yano, to finally pinning Okada... To an epic finale with Naito. Outstanding. If he had won, I would've been absolutely fine. But he is not the hero in this story. Not in this one. But I think he will have the belt in 2018. I think he will beat Naito to get it. Until then I think he should defend, then drop the US belt to Elgin/Juice then feud with Ibushi for the IC.
Tama: The only weak link in B block. Never liked him but I think I'm slowly starting to. He had good performances. The mid match promo against Kenny was brutal! Also I really liked the Suzuki match, spending 90% of the match in the crowd was a refreshing change.
Suzuki: Badass. An all around excellent performer. I wonder when he will retire. I can't believe he can go at such a level at his age. I think that's why he utilises interference so much now. Would love an Elgin feud.
Sanada: Solid, but a teeny bit disappointing. First, his new entrance attire is awful. Why did he get rid of the old mask, the jacket, the baseball bat, that was a perfect look. Still, in ring he was fine. I think they wanted then focus on Evil this time.
Evil: Improved so much. He's not doing that silly chair spot as much now, he feels a lot less "scripted" as a performer. Beating Okada was great. Getting knocked out legit by Omega and getting through this tourney is very impressive.
I honestly can't decide on an MVP for B block.
I've typed way too much... And this will probably be my last post here. These forums are dead, and barely anyone here gives a shit about New Japan. Tragic. The WWE has nothing on this product. Summerslam will not touch the level of quality these last few shows had, guaranteed. I didn't even get into Shibata's emotional return, or the great tag title matches. Ah well, probably less than a dozen people are reading anyway. Farewell.
