NJPW G1 Climax 26
Day 16 Results
August 10, 2016
So we’re down to the penultimate show for the B-Block. If Naito wins here it eliminates everyone who leaves this show under ten points, and immediately makes life difficult for the other front-runners, Kenny Omega, Katsuyori Shibata and Michael Elgin.
KENNY OMEGA (8) vs. KATSUHIKO NAKAJIMA (8)
They lit each other up early and brawled to the floor, where Omega dropped him with a Dragon Suplex to which Nakajima barely answered a 20-count. Kenny controlled the pace for several minutes until he went for his moonsault combo and Nakajima got his knees up. They went back and forth with Nakajima hitting some nice kicks, a missile dropkick, and a superplex from the top rope; Omega with the Fameasser and a snap Dragon Suplex. The last couple minutes was really good, trading a lot of stiff looking kicks and all their big moves. Nakajima did about six superkicks into the corner for two, and Omega hit a reverse Frankensteiner for two. Kenny ended up putting him away with the One-Winged Angel in a solid match. Winner: Kenny Omega (10).
TORU YANO (8) vs. EVIL (4)
Yano did his normal shtick and went for the chair early, but it ended up backfiring on him. Evil splashed him in the corner and tried for the STO but Yano rolled him up for a nearfall. Yano looked like he was going to low blow him so the referee grabbed his arm and said no, and Evil hit him with the STO for the win in a mercifully quick match. Winner: EVIL (6).
TETSUYA NAITO (10) vs. YOSHI-HASHI (6)
The early going was your basic Naito throwing Hashi into the barricade, count-out tease and slow beatdown until Hashi built his comeback with a big DDT, lariat and a running dropkick in the ropes. Lots of counters with Hashi looking for a neckbreaker, Naito looking for a Dudley Dog off the ropes, and eventually Hashi actually catching him with a Codebreaker out of nowhere which got the rare mid-match replay treatment. Naito planted him with a big spinebuster but Hashi had Destino scouted with a nice sit-out front slam. They went back and forth with elbows then big slaps and Hashi turned him inside-out with a stiff lariat for a nearfall. He hit him with the Swanton for another two-count. Hashi put him in the Butterfly lock for a long submission spot, until Naito got into the ropes. Hashi put him back in the Butterfly but Naito dropped him with a suplex; he popped right back up and they went back and forth until Naito pinned him with Destino. Winner: Tetsuya Naito (12).
KATSUYORI SHIBATA (8) vs. YUJI NAGATA (6)
They traded elbow shots right from the start, fought to the floor and traded more elbows back and forth until the ref got to a count of 18 and they rolled back inside. Nagata put him in an armbar but Shibata fought out of it and it was back and forth the entire time from there. Every chop, kick, elbow and slap imaginable, they hit each other with. Shibata went for a sleeper but Nagata countered into his armbar and did his spot to pop the crowd until Shibata got his foot on the ropes. Yuji controlled him from there with power moves until Shibata hit a nice dropkick into a sleeper hold. Nagata worked his shoulder and fought out of it, but Shibata hit him with some elbows and went right back into the sleeper, this time locking in the body scissors. No penalty kick this show, as Nagata actually taps. Winner: Katsuyori Shibata (10).
Something felt “off” about the finish to that match. Nagata actually tapped out to a spot where usually Shibata would comeback and hit the PK after the sleeper. Shibata didn’t release the hold as if he wasn’t sure, and Nagata physically tapped twice. Shibata went straight to the back with no celebration or anything between them as a team of medics helped out Yuji. Strange.
TOMOAKI HONMA (4) vs. MICHAEL ELGIN (8)
This was a very slow back-and-forth brawl going from one big power move to the next. The crowd was quiet early on but ended up getting into it by the end. A lot of the early match was Honma trying to lift up Elgin and failing, thus not gaining much ground. Eventually he managed to get him up for a big suplex spot. Elgin looked really impressive here, catching him with a deadlift German spot in the middle of the ring, and then later a deadlift superplex into a falcon arrow from the second rope, which got a huge pop. He hit him with the Buckle Bomb but Honma bounced back with a running headbutt out of nowhere. The crowd was extremely pro-Honma despite him being eliminated and this being a “win or go home” situation for Elgin. They went into an elbow trade, Elgin tried to piledrive him, Honma rolled through but Elgin deadlifted him into a powerbomb and a huge lariat, then hit him with the Buckle Bomb and the Elgin Bomb for the win in a great finish. Very good main event match. Winner: Michael Elgin (10).
Elgin closed out the night by saying that he is the current reigning Elite World Champion, the current reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion, and soon will be the G1 Climax 26 champion. He picked up Honma and the two hugged it out, and Elgin posed with his titles to end a pretty solid show.
After the show closes Elgin is backstage and reiterates that he’s the Elite & IWGP champion. He says he despises Kenny Omega but now has to cheer for him during the B-Block finals, and tells him for once in his life to go out there and be great and beat Tetsuya Naito. He says everyone in New Japan knows that Nakajima is good, but at the B-Block finals he has to be great because he’s getting in the ring with Michael Elgin.
