Night 9 already. Block A again tonight.
Block A Match - Yuji Nagata vs Togi Makabe
This was a good match with an invested crowd but I still feel it was the weakest match for Nagata so far. I can't wait until Nagata picks up that first win, probably against Bad Luck Fale, and the fans lose their minds. Makabe has been just OK so far in this year's tournament. ***
Block A Match - Kota Ibushi vs Bad Luck Fale
I am not much of a fan of Fale but they have been doing a good job of structuring his matches in this tournament, for the most part. Ibushi used his speed to stay away from Fale but occasionally managed to hit a big move. The brawling on the outside was a nice touch, with Ibushi hitting a moonsault from the upper tier. The fans bought the possibility of a countout too as New Japan has established that it is a possibility. Better than I expected. ***
Block A Match - Hirooki Goto vs Zack Sabre Jr
Another good match. This didn't quite hit the levels of their previous encounter though. This show is beginning to feel like a night off for people. I don't blame them for this, it's a long tournament. It does seem like the intensity is not quite there. As I said, though, it was still good. ***
Block A Match - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs YOSHI-HASHI
This is definitely a recuperation day. Good wrestling but nothing I'm going to remember in a couple of days time. I was a bit worried that Tanahashi and alternate timeline Tanahashi were going to meld together like in Timecop. ***
Block A Match - Tomohiro Ishii vs Tetsuya Naito
This always looked like it would be the best match on the card and that is exactly how it panned out. It started slow but it built nicely to the finish. Naito made the mistake of trying to work over Ishii's neck when Ishii doesn't have a neck. This was the only match on the card that felt like the wrestlers were going nearly full bore. I say nearly because despite being a very, very good match this isn't as good as their previous matches. ****
Overall Grade - C-
This was the worst show of the G1 so far. It felt like a bit of a rest day and, as I said earlier, I'm fine with that. I might go and watch Timecop.
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