[Please note: there are full incidental spoilers for all other nights of G1 Climax 33 action so far. You can start the journey of non-spoiler reviews of each night here.]
[Please note: the first half of the tournament will be entirely G1 Climax 33 Block matches, without the opening preliminary tags or young lions matches, with A/B and C/D across alternating nights. I am reviewing every tournament match, but this year I am being brutal: if a match is only ‘good’, it doesn’t get the positive check mark next to it. It’s hard to have a ‘bad’ match in the G1, so you can unofficially use the +/- marks as ‘must see’/’can be missed’. That said, damn I love G1 season.]
Nineteen nights of action across the next three weeks can only mean one thing: it’s time for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s (NJPW) G1 Climax 33, a round robin tournament where the winner earns the chance to main event the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Kingdom next year. In the G1 Climax, a win earns a competitor 1 point with the loser getting 0 points, while a time limit draw or double countout earns 1 each. For the first time, all matches will have a 20 minute time limit. At the end of the round robin format, top two of each of the four groups advance into an elimination phase, before the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals to crown the overall winner.
We are into double digits, as night ten means that eliminations in the C and D Block are now a concern for some of the competitors. In the main event, what is essentially an elimination match when Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto do battle. Shingo Takagi and Tama Tonga will also meet in tournament action, and two members of TMDK collide when Zack Sabre Jr. and Shane Haste meet for the first time in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Tomohiro Ishii must win in his match with EVIL in the first ever G1 Climax meeting between the two, and similarly Alex Coughlin looks to keep his finals hopes alive when he faces Tetsuya Naito. Meanwhile, Eddie Kingston looks to eliminate Mikey Nicholls when they meet in the ring, and the currently undefeated Jeff Cobb will face Toru Yano, who has not earned a single point thus far in what could be a huge upset. In the opening match of the night, David Finlay looks to rebound off his first loss when he battles Henare in a must win match for Henare.
As we enter this home stretch, some competitors can become mathematically eliminated based on their own results, and the results of other matches. With only three matches remaining, only a maximum of six points remain to be earned. Therefore, anybody only on 4 or fewer points at the end of this show will be effectively eliminated unless they hold a victory over someone they are tied with.
+ Tama Tonga [6 points] vs Shingo Takagi [4 points] (G1 Climax 33 C Block Match): this was probably the best match on the show, but that’s not really saying much. Tama’s speed and Shingo’s power were the difference makers for each man, and I really liked the way this built to a fun conclusion
+ Tomohiro Ishii [2 points] vs EVIL [6 points] (G1 Climax 33 C Block Match): I love these two even with the regular EVIL garbage, but this was closer to their old school meat matches. I’m surprised this was their first G1 meeting, and it’s a shame it didn’t happen before that aforementioned House of Torture schtick, but overall this was still a lot of fun. It’s amazing how much the live crowd loves Ishii despite his record of late, but considering how much I still love watching him I shouldn’t be surprised
– Hiroshi Tanahashi [4 points] vs Hirooki Goto [4 points] (G1 Climax 33 D Block Match): a match between a guy with real injuries and a guy pretending to be injured was a bold choice for the main event but looking at the matches on paper I can’t fault them. I really wanted to get into this, especially as I’ve always thought Goto was super underrated, but this was a frustratingly placed match on a show that frankly wasn’t all that great anyway
– Zack Sabre Jr. [6 points] vs Shane Haste [4 points] (G1 Climax 33 D Block Match): this was relatively short, and it felt even shorter than it was, but overall it was still good. Though never at the stage of ‘must see’, I’m a sucker for these intra-team matches (when it’s not Bullet Club) and both guys played up that ‘we’re friends, but I still want to win’ to a realistic level
– Tetsuya Naito [4 points] vs Alex Coughlin [2 points] (G1 Climax 33 D Block Match): obviously the crowds will always love Naito, but I think Coughlin has really done well to get himself hated much like his partner Gabe Kidd has. Coughlin has some crazy strength that the live audience got behind, and even if this didn’t quite live up to the ‘must see’ notation, it was still pretty good
– Eddie Kingston [4 points] vs Mikey Nicholls [2 points] (G1 Climax 33 C Block Match): the crowd was dead for the vast majority of this match, and despite some stiff shots from Kingston, there was little to make them or me cheer
– Toru Yano [0 points, eliminated] vs Jeff Cobb [8 points] (G1 Climax 33 D Block Match): even if, like me, you don’t much care for these Yano ‘matches’, the idea of an Yano upset over the undefeated Cobb is something we can all get invested in. That said, this was not at all a must see matchup
– David Finlay [6 points] vs Henare [2 points] (G1 Climax 33 C Block Match): bless young David Finlay, he’s trying so hard. And I have been hugely impressed with Henare since last year’s string of bangers, but this was just a nothing happening match that never once got me hooked
> I have said it in one way or another in every review so far, but this 20-minute time limit is such a great change. not just the draws we’ve already seen, but it makes the final stretch of every match so much more exciting and there doesn’t need to be 10 minutes of filler to get there.
Should you watch this event: Overall, this wasn’t a great night with some match ups that were more just ‘well we have to have them’ than anything. Every tournament has a night like this, so it’s no harm no foul. Just don’t bother with these unless you really like the people in the top section.
MoshFish Reviews 