New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 25 (Night 16)
August 12, 2015
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan

It took nearly a month to get here, but we’ve finally made it to the final week of the 2015 G1 Climax. Not only that, but tonight’s show was the last Korakuen event of the tour, with the final three nights of the G1 taking place in Sumo Hall beginning on Friday. As much as some have spoken about this year’s event being a grind, the G1 has still managed to provide a great number of fun moments, classic matches, and memorable feats. Tonight, possibly the most memorable moment of the past few years had the potential of taking place. In the main event, Tomoaki Honma was putting his massive G1 losing streak on the line against Tomohiro Ishii. No one wants to be the guy who loses to the ultimate loser, but Ishii risked it all as Korakuen Hall anticipated one of the more intriguing G1 bouts of the year. It’s Ishii vs Honma here on Night 16 of the G1 Climax!

Ryusuke Taguchi & Sho Tanaka & Yohei Komatsu defeated Jushin Thunder Liger & David Finlay & Jay White

The undercard of tonight’s event featured three different 6-man tag matches, with a regular tag match thrown in the middle. The opener, a fun, fast paced sprint, saw Ryusuke Taguchi pin Jay White after his Dodon. Highlighting the match was Sho Tanaka, making his return to NJPW after a month of competing in NOAH’s Global Jr. Heavyweight League. Tanaka had a chip on his shoulder, after competing heavily in singles action with NOAH, he’s back to the malaise of undercard multi-mans until seemingly the end of time. After the victory, Tanaka was the only member of his team to refuse to shake hands with his opponents, walking out of the ring as Liger offered his hand. Liger, a big fan of Jay White, may not be such a fan of Tanaka with that kind of attitude! The match lasted all of six minutes, which went by so quickly I didn’t think, at first, that it could have surpassed four. **3/4

Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga

A Toru Yano match, this was, as Yano pinned Tonga after failed double team attempts from the Bullet Club. The story of the match was Yano’s continuous attempts to toy with Fale, with Fale growing more heated by the minute. However, it was Fale being taken off his game that lead to his team’s misfortune, so we’ll see if Fale will suffer the same fate on Friday as he takes on Yano in his final G1 match. *1/2

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631403193755377664

Togi Makabe & Hiroyoshi Tenzan & KUSHIDA defeated Kota Ibushi & Tetsuya Naito & Mascara Dorada

Makabe and Ibushi, the competitors of focus in this match, were super hot at each other from start to finish, and even after the finish. That’s honestly going to be quite the match on Friday. The crowd was hot when those two were in the ring together. Also competing on Friday, Naito and Tenzan, didn’t do much during the match, but they did have a post-match, in ring, standoff.  Tenzan was confused by how nonchalant Naito was being. Welcome to last month, Hiroyoshi. While Makabe and Ibushi were the steak tonight, Dorada and KUSHIDA were the sizzle. Their interactions were smooth, flashy, and thrilling in their brief time in the ring. Combined with the brute battle of Ibushi and Makabe, the flash of KUSHIDA and Dorada made this easily the best match of the undercard. ***1/2

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631409856264560640

AJ Styles & Doc Gallows & Cody Hall defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Katsuyori Shibata & Captain New Japan

Doc Gallows pinned Captain New Japan after a tree slam to get the win in a fine match, with the main point being to tease Friday’s main event of AJ Styles vs Hiroshi Tanahashi. The two really didn’t do anything against each other here except just that, tease the next night’s main. Cody Hall worked most of the match, taking massive punishment from Shibata, specifically. The audience, of course, was really into seeing Tanahashi in there with Styles, but the Sumo Hall audience will be the ones to witness that. **1/2

https://twitter.com/DeathToAllMarks/status/631414425245872128

G1 Climax 25

Karl Anderson defeated Yujiro Takahashi

MAO was back at ringside with Yujiro. So, Karl being Karl, he was infatuated with the @YellowBarbie_M the entire time, thus creating the tension needed to make anyone care about this match. Did it work? Well, not particularly for Yujiro vs Karl, but it did rather for Karl vs Styles. Styles yelling at Karl during the match that Yujiro is family, and for Karl to settle down, created buzz for a match we won’t be seeing anytime soon. Styles shoving Anderson, and Anderson shoving Styles, drew gasps from the crowd that then had to suffer through Yujiro being terrible for ten minutes. I’m not a Yujiro fan, nor am I a Yujiro hater, but I’ll be damned if Anderson was fourteen times the wrestler Yujiro was in this match. Everyone at ringside in the Bullet Club performed better tonight than Yujiro, including MAO, who just sat at ringside and smiled. *****

For her, not the match. Not even for her specifically, just for anyone that puts up with Yujiro. The match gets *3/4.

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631417832329379841

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631420101196140544

Hirooki Goto defeated #BigMike

For his first tour with New Japan, Michael Elgin made a strong showing for himself and definitely earned a potential return trip. With one tournament match left, Elgin is eliminated from winning, but winning was never a realistic option for him anyway. The story with #BigMike was strictly how he would perform in front of a new audience, an audience he had been dying to perform in front of for years, and perhaps his entire adult life. We got the answer early, and were treated to his cementing of the answer for two weeks afterward. Elgin belongs, and we know that before even seeing the match that post Elgin fans had been most anticipating: Elgin vs Ishii on Saturday. Goto, for his efforts, was helped by beating Elgin. Elgin had proven to be a viable competitor, impressing the fans throughout Japan, so a win for Goto only adds to his recent resume of victories. Truly, this win over Elgin improved Goto’s stock more than victories over Yujiro and Honma. ****1/4

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631424049416155137

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631424398529036289

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Satoshi Kojima

A skin of his teeth win for Nakamura, as Shinsuke put down Kojima with a Boma Ye out of nowhere as Kojima seemingly had steadfast control at the end. After the loss, Kojima got a huge ovation for his efforts. Cockymura was toying with the older Kojima much during the beginning of the match, before realizing that Kojima probably wasn’t one to toy with. Barely escaping with a victory, we should see a more focused Nakamura during his main event match on Saturday against the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. The story of Nakamura in this tournament is almost a forgettable one, which is odd considering he may wind up the victor. From the injury causing his absence for a few shows, to not having really any classic matches during the tour, it may be fair to say that he’s had an underwhelming showing. With Michael Elgin’s strong debut, Honma’s road to an elusive victory, Naito’s new run with Los Ingobernables, and so much more, Nakamura’s road to a potential win has been just barely a blip on my radar. ***1/2

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631427699999944704

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631428928633225217

Kazuchika Okada defeated Yuji Nagata

Wow, this crowd wanted that special Nagata victory so bad. SO BAD. Okada could do nothing right in these people’s eyes, the same people that he began the year in front of with a loss to Bad Luck Fale. They were hoping the same fate would befall Okada here, this time with Nagata getting the win and setting up a crazy final day of the B Block on Saturday. Instead, Kazuchika Okada shut down the older veteran, finishing Nagata off with the Rainmaker in what to this point had been the second best match of the evening. Unlike the Nakamura match minutes before, this wasn’t just hot for the closing stretch. The people were all in on these guys from the start. Okada now enters the main event of Night 18, on Saturday, with 14 points and sole possession of first place in the B Block. With Nakamura at 12 points, Okada can only win the B Block with a victory over Nakamura on Saturday, or by drawing the King of Strong Style. A loss eliminates Okada from the tournament, and would send Nakamura to the G1 finals. ****

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631433895653830657

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631434470617427968

Tomoaki Honma defeated Tomohiro Ishii

Guess what? Tomohiro Ishii is a thick, tough dude. I would not want to take one of the chops Honma was laying in on him ever, and Ishii took tens of them. Add in the many clotheslines, kokeshis, and suplexes, and this was a hard hitting back and forth battle between the two men that quite possibly had the best match of the 2014 G1 Climax. Of course, the Tokyo crowd wanted, finally, to celebrate a Tomoaki Honma victory. Well, the wait is over! HONMAMANIA HAS RUNNETH WILD OVER KORAKUEN HALL! Honma Tomoaki, in the 16th minute of a really good, climactic match, landed kokeshi after kokeshi after kokeshi onto the fallen Ishii to gain his first G1 victory! At 2 points, Honma is now… still nowhere close to contention to win the G1. Who cares. Honma’s win was thrilling, painfully anticipated at times, and very amusing to the Korakuen crowd who were treated to a really good show overall. Top to bottom, maybe one of the better G1 shows of the year. ****

After starting with a 3-0 record to open this year’s tournament, Ishii has now gone 1-4. Ishii takes on Michael Elgin on Saturday, and with both men at .500, only one will end up with a winning record to close out this year’s G1. Unless they draw. Can you picture a 30-minute Ishii vs Elgin match as the G1 opener on Saturday? Yeah, neither can I. Neither can Gedo, I’m sure.

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631436657602994176

https://twitter.com/SenorLARIATO/status/631439790123167744

Just a guy waiting for his ride home.

https://twitter.com/McDonaldMichael/status/631451440230240257

 

G1 Climax 25 Official Standings

Block ABlock B
AJ Styles12Kazuchika Okada14
Hiroshi Tanahashi12Shinsuke Nakamura12
Tetsuya Naito10Karl Anderson12
Bad Luck Fale10Hirooki Goto12
Katsuyori Shibata8Tomohiro Ishii8
Togi Makabe8Michael Elgin8
Kota Ibushi6Yujiro Takahashi4
Toru Yano6Satoshi Kojima4
Doc Gallows4Yuji Nagata4
Hiroyoshi Tenzan4TOMOAKI HONMA!!!!2

Voices of Wrestling G1 Climax Pick’Em Standings

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NameTotalBonusNight 1Night 2Night 3Night 4Night 5Night 6Night 7Night 8Night 9Night 10Night 11Night 12Night 13Night 14Night 15Night 16Night 17Night 18
August Baker7712454454242522444442
Dylan Waco7715435243244444532522
Josh Walther7715335533343424452324
Allen Vick Jr7615444404344514441443
Bastian Sauer7615544433224534442431
Bonski McBonski765435333435555553424
Rob Rodriguez7615434522443535340235
David Dunn7515334432435424323443
Graeme Touchdown7510444442244444353424
Joshua Robinson7515243354344534311542
Ed Burns7413334343145525542431
Alex K.7310444523334435432424
Dan Atwood7310454444144434532512
Ewen MacDonald7313345223324444351524
Siva Punisamy7313344444324444342322
Aaron Bentley7215443323223433442335
Ben Pitchford7210534334134534442433
Chris Maffei725434352344535452434
J. Michael7215334412135455232334
Jake Barry7215344322244425432414
James Starkey7210245443234445432432
Kenny Ortiz726544354234534444422
Marcus Origer7210235441243524445424
Matt Audet7210445434335422443422
Matt Love725434353354543443334
Morten Hansen7213343324234253434433
Skylar Hinnant7211443334253544342431
Barry Meijer7115544441134514432412
Evan Speciner7110444524145333442414
Len Liu7115324233253435424322
Matt Wheal7113345433134534432322
Oliver Court7110543243342434443333
Olivier Tremblay7115345433214422353431
Scott Barker7115533343124434432422
SenorLARIATO7113345433234444332223
Adam Watkinson7013443333244534133422
Cameron Krusemark708443432244544343414
Capu Random7010334323234534344244
Christopher Duarte708335242343544143444
Doug Nunnally708444432325544433422
Kevin George705544442444444252405
Paco Silva Martínez705445554434424232433
Rob Reid705353433354535451423
Robert Palmer7010445423224544253322
Seth Chodosh7010434523132444454431
Taylor Mitchell706434432244534552424
Alejandro Giménez Gómez695345344243444433424
Andrew Chupurdy6910445432224534433313
Bryn Edwards Gunn6913533322343445332421
D Chong6910434332134433542434
Jody Plante6913235312124545433513
John Carroll6910343443422524352414
Mark Shaw695534443325433443433
Matt Trebby695454344244434342424
Paul Volsch698353334322524543244
Richard Jaeger697445353214445242424
Rob McCarron6910543312235544351432
Samuel DiMascio697425524344333442514
Santiago Tomasi6910544523133333442433
Tony Albicocco698544434223544351422
Brian Jackson686344344244344341353
Chad Campbell688433343143545442323
Chris Smith687245252324544333433
Goncalo Monteiro6810143412344545432333
James Baldwin685344424423454442532
John Mulligan688455334244444141332
Joseph Remy685445334334434243433
Keenan Carnegie6810524524414124343523
Mario Morrison688545442234525331332
Nnaemeka Odunze687345353244535322323
Paul Leazar6810444522254335332421
Rich Kraetsch6810433432334424342424
Robert Dougherty688435133334335343433
Ryan Smith685234543235554342423
Ryan Wilson6813134434323354223324
Sean Sedor6810334424224445243323
Tomek Cherek6810434433124424442532
Alexander Panos675444423244435342415
Benson Sam673245542343444443414
Brady Livingston675544343334534242333
Chris Bacon676333344353425432424
Jake Daniel675445353334515452312
Joe Gagne675435314344343443424
Kelly Harrass677344432245534352412
Michael Quealy678544443134534432321
Mike Spears678444333134434432523
Ru Gunn675444424134535352414
Scott675444533233534452422
TJ Hawke6710545523533213222442
Tye Liddell675533433333534342425
Wyatt Eddy675445424444533332422
Ajay Sameer668534322134534432532
Aled M665443432324435442334
Andy Clark668343432134534541540
Azri Firman665324254243535354223
Brandon Howard6610443423234534431313
Brian Ubben665544453144544313412
Daniel Mason665434453215354333243
Dave Taylor665345323144535154423
Dylan Harris668445222343544331423
Ed Mills6610343332244433423432
Edgar Morales665144343344544433431
G Brett Williams663435443155534432431
Gregory Davis668455233234453232233
Heather Christianson665443343245434432423
Izzac Mackenroth667444333234324244325
Jason Bullock665444353224445252431
Jeff Tillery665435543234425542204
Martijn Winkel6610344323115443244333
Matt Kennedy665445314434334443323
Matt Rolder665443333334335343424
Niall Hallinan667442443225444144323
Paul Cooke665445333324544341423
Sean Flynn667244423333542451442
Sean N663445354133433553422
Vic666444334334435432430
Antonio Garza657443433143435433313
Benjamin Good6510344113254444332422
Brian Brennan6510543222234424142434
Chris Burnett655444443134233423534
Christopher Griger658434243124324532434
CRVX655345332233444443522
Darren Lyne657545434124434322413
Dominick Gonzalez655544323234535323522
Erin Hotovy655434432324423432544
Filip Pejic655443332344533443305
Frederick Cholowski655544432243534352502
Jake Glowacki655534542125344332325
Jeremy Sexton657344424044434342423
Joe Estrada6510342432144534432412
Kevin Hare655343433234544443502
Lucas McFadden658455223523443233322
MacLean Craig657245333334524333413
Mitch Cowan658544423144434322413
Monty Rimorin655344334345313242444
Riley Hansen655535352233434432522
scott glover6510544453134335232112
Sean Spencer655444324145525351512
Travis McNeill655443413244344352424
Adam Joyce645345433234435332422
Brandon Gordon645335311234554343343
David Mora645434333234444433422
Dee H645153234344444332424
dillon burgess647433333134535432413
Eddy Collazo6410333314225244143424
Greg P645444342244434241523
Jason Lee6413335323233432443031
Kevin Lyon645344332424544452402
Luuk van Egeraat645344354324453214521
Mark Edward Dowling645324343414234443524
Martin Foster647143543343423442332
Michael Zavala646443312423545343323
Michelle Burkey6415333424114422322225
Parker Holland645344433034335544403
Robert Pannell645244343334534442421
Sherman Lee645233423243435433344
Tanner Teat645444333234333333434
Victor Zoest645444332234534442224
Warren Taylor648533432125524243422
Alessandro Tucci635544433224443350323
Andrew Carpenter6310441422242444342412
Andrew Perkins636244332242533332444
Ayaash M637445242233533232522
Ben Gordon635243433245524443411
Bill Knust633434433333434443422
Darren Lynch638342424334324231353
David Penton635433233425543441323
Ferdinand Meyer635534154224434252233
Gabriel Perez637345433424534321411
Guilherme Jaeger635444323422234442425
James Hagan635234233243434344334
Jamie Mohan635343343314333442533
Jeff Chase635434234244435432322
João Vitor Silveira Passos633444444333333441513
lawrence obrien633042442255435445322
Lou Pickney635344323234433453512
Mark Aasal635343332133355343343
Mark Berlowitz635434543135233442413
Matt Brown635444333233535422413
Matt McEwen635444532233534431413
Matthew Bray633343334344525432314
Mogel635543333235543332412
ntaf635343552334334242314
Phil Williams633433432254434423442
Samuel Cooke637343343344424222522
William Housell Jr.637334442253434241341
William Young635344524245424232323
Zach Smith633544344134344244214
Aaron Lomas6211432313243435342311
Benoit Brunette623544442423343332225
Brady Vincent623234443324534534402
Chris Adams625254224344523333422
Dave Christian625544532334442241412
David Neild623334343244534242522
Edward Miguez625334432144535322423
Garrett Kidney628433233253324332432
Hugh Little625244433324434342413
Jacob K Randlett623235423243534452314
Jamie ODoherty623535543234424053412
Jason Woito625444444342422341314
Jesse Carey625444442342234442412
Jordan Greenhalgh625444342234534342312
Kevin Gombau625444342234534342312
Kevin S627444323034434533321
Lee Thomas625334434243432343242
Mark Smith625433542233424442413
Michael Levy625325544223324242343
Peter Weinstein625433432335424442412
Rob Barry627435453123323242423
Ryan Tulleth625345443134334233332
SASira623434332344434432513
Thomas Green625243233254424352432
Andrew Bates615444332423435232323
Andy Doran615235512234444442412
Antonio Edwards613343333134544232524
Charles Humphreys615244333224544232423
EddieAlCapone615545332223324252333
Evan Grady-Troia613544323135534352312
joe mills613543432135534433213
Lucas Zamarín615353333223535242224
manny kang615234443244525223313
Mary Robinson615224452224345233522
Matthew Nielson610533444334435442411
Mike Fuller613334422134333453533
Phil OConnor616233423443433433331
Sean Garmer615344322134444433413
Thomas Jayroe615435422143224424433
Alfred Arriola605545333343423332212
Brian Stafford605234432234243441415
Bryan Rose605334443232434433222
Chris Boothroyd607244322122434442415
Christian Renoe6010423223234434322421
Collin Miller603434332344534352311
David Woodley603245333234425442322
Derek Drago605434433223244422432
Francis Lane605342432334444432303
Jason Ryan603444324233424342423
Jesse B603344333254434332313
Joel Zewski607443322135434422412
Jonathan Parsons605332422334434432432
Jordan Benterman605224424134434253413
Keith Campbell605443232234434234413
Keith Harris605245322234435340333
Kenneth Butler603244423244523442422
Kevin Held605445422234424231432
Matthew Brown605243323134434443224
Michael McDonald605233342224332552424
Mike Bate605433323333445232422
Rodrigo Garcia605233532324334252423
The Mosayat605444323234433332413
Will True605544432124435252221
Abrasive Obelisk593435423044423341424
Alan Counihan593433343125344253313
Brandon Simms593534232423434434411
Dan Mullooly595544412123424353403
Dan Tiller597254142251522233324
Darrell Chess595434434213234242423
Drew Wardlaw595343413224334333522
Kelly Corcoran593244344334434332402
Kent Sinkler595445413444312243132
Markus Herter595354442333414232232
Martin Bentley593434432134424332433
Rancho King592335422244435243412
Richard Benson597535441223421232432
Rogers Hudson595243323124533442414
Tenese Sarwieh595444442222325432412
Tim Evans590444333234434441441
Travis Kriens595443312234534441412
Aaron Richards585242443333543152122
Angela Stephens585445432233434232401
Brendan Creecy585434232234444322403
Brennan Bajdek585334322324424342422
cal hodges587233323213435241433
Chris Steffensen585334323234435332402
Joseph Roche580444413342433253432
Karl Grant585334422224434352402
Neil McNerlan585244434143423323421
Peter Gardner580534342434323242433
Alexander Kaiser575235413134345332312
Dakota Schmidt573435513243334331223
Danny Kuchler573345442134434321313
David Neil Rapp575134422024433443423
Jon Burr575441304224522352333
Joseph Atwood575444331334242441411
Alex Giardini565345303123444223512
Andrew Moll567234332223524231512
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Bill Thompson563244543222313332424
Brian Sanders565344324222523333420
George T565234414204453342312
Greg Johnson563444112445433333122
Jack Beckmann565433453023324242313
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Jamie Sessions560544342214332352423
Jeremy Weimer565544424122444123302
Julian Perez565243323132335352421
Michael A. DeSota565533332135413152313
Mitch Parcells560343352243445332411
Mitch Thomas568434322134322333312
The Jonathon Hunt Experience560335222334434252441
Ben Crooty555433313224215432413
Johnny Marlow550423424224412345225
mark pierson II555422302234433432324
Mike A. Roonie555243233124232522523
Richard Fann555445402123443232124
Sarah kenneally553332432234233234423
Sebastian Zamf555245314224441332321
Stefan Kuschnig555334314233134341224
Superdeformed555225432142324333313
T.C. Carroll550443443233234352411
Aidan Daly543445443223233332220
John Boyle543343233204332252532
Matt Pecolatto545434321304333331522
Peter Richards543334343033444430321
Allan Blackstock533242423224432342214
Jared Welch532244444123414432221
Lucha Max533344423024343132413
Thumbster535235212232532341422
Tim Kelly530334413124525332422
Tommy Livingstone533043423134434233412
UrbinoPL533323322433335334031
Wayne Maw535342424032233342241
Alex Silva520433222243235442520
Brandon525233431232323242323
Case Lowe523433221223533253501
Christian Laputka520434424221434333321
George Andrew525334322131433522213
Niel Jacoby524244343103434132322
Jack Smith510345344114325132411
Kuba Fineczko515235432113234233302
Andrew J. DeYoe502133525125223412331
No One Nation504234441124222113523
Trent Williams505243502014333441321
Adrian Gaskin493343322124433331113
David R. Curington490334322133324252313
Kristin Barry462323321043422333141
Kyle Henke445422321214241022232
Tingle420043313212433132232