From The Shelf- NJPW G1 Climax 23 Day Two

NJPW G1 Climax 2013 Day Two
8-2-2013
Tokyo, Japan

Block B-Shelton Benjamin (2) vs. Karl Anderson (2)
Benjamin slaps Anderson a few times and he bails to the floor in frustration. Back in, Benjamin slaps him some more and again Anderson bails. Back in, Anderson works over Benjamin but Benjamin takes him over with a slingshot arm drag. Knee to the gut by Anderson breaks up another slap fest and he rakes the eyes of Benjamin. Anderson bites the head of Benjamin and he goes back to raking the eyes. Uppercuts by Anderson but Benjamin fights back with rights. Anderson stops that with another knee to the midsection and he chokes Benjamin in the ropes. Benjamin counters a suplex attempt with a neckbreaker. Stinger Splash by Benjamin and he goes for a second but misses. Bicycle kick in the corner by Anderson and he goes for a powerbomb but Benjamin escapes. Spinning heel kick by Benjamin and he hits a running knee strike from the apron. Benjamin springboard in but Anderson catches him and goes for the Gun Stun. Benjmain blocks so Anderson hits a Boss Man Slam backbreaker. Benjamin blocks the Gun Stun again and hits the super kick. German suplex by Benjamin gets 2 and he grabs the Ankle Lock. Anderson rolls through and he hits the Gun Stun for 3.
Winner- Karl Anderson *** ( Good opening match with fun antics from both guys and a fun finishing sequence at the end. )

Block B-Yujiro Takahashi (2) vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (0)
Rights by Tenzan but Yujiro bites the thumb of Tenzan to stop the punches. They trade forearms and chops and Tenzan catches Yujiro with a spinning heel kick. Takahashi bails and gets some comfort from the woman he brought to ringside with him. Yujiro pulls Tenzan to the floor and rams him against the railings. Suicide dive by Yujiro and back in, Yujiro hammers the back of Tenzan. Neckbreaker by Yujiro and he hits a legdrop for 2. Yujiro rakes the eyes of Tenzan and hits a snapmare into some elbow drops for 2. Back elbows in the corner by Yujiro and he hits a Ukuza kick into the corner. Tenzan comes back with a clothesline and he hits some shoulder chops to Yujiro. Tenzan works him over in the corner and he connects with a corner clothesline. Tenzan goes up and drives him knee into the back of Yujiro bringing him down to the mat for 2. Yujrio blocks a suplex attempt but Tenzan catches him with a Samoan drop. Tenzan goes up and hits a diving head butt off the top for 2. Anaconda Vice by Tenzan but Yujiro rakes the face of Tenzan to break. Head butts by Tenzan and he hits a clothesline. Slam by Tenzan and he goes up. Moonsault off the top misses and Yujiro hits a big boot. Backdrop by Tenzan and he hits some shoulder chops. Yujiro catches Tenzan with a Brainbuster and he hits a slam. Yujiro goes up and he hits the moonsault on Tenzan for 1!!! Lariat by Yujiro and he can’t get Tenzan up for Tokyo Pimps. Slam by Yujrio and he goes up. Another moonsault to Tenzan gets 3.
Winner- Yujiro Takahashi ***1/4 ( I was shocked by how good this was. Tenzan performed much better here and Yujiro sold well for Tenzan’s offense. The final few minutes were excellent. )

Block B- Toru Yano (0) vs. Yuji Nagata (2)
They trade forearms to start and Yano rakes the eyes of Nagata. Big boot by Nagata and Yano bails. Back in, Nagata catches Yano in the Crossface but Yano gets his foot on the ropes to break. Yano bails again but Nagata follows and stomps away. Nagata is sent into the railings by Yano and they head into the crowd. He drives the chair into the gut and back of Nagata and back in, Yano sends Nagata into the exposed corner. Nagata misses the enzuigiri and Yano sends Nagata into the exposed corner again. Hip toss by Yano gets 1. Yano sidesteps a charging Nagata and Nagata lands face first into the exposed steel in the corner. Kicks to the chest by Nagata and he hits a Ukuza kick in the corner. Exploder suplex by Nagata gets 2. They trade forearms and Nagata catches him with an enzuigiri to the back of the head. Crucifix by Nagata gets 2 as Yano rolls through for 2. Reverse atomic drop by Yano and he catapults Nagata toward the exposed corner but Nagata is able to avoid it. Yano shoves Nagata into the ref which allows Yano to go low and get a backslide on Nagata for 2. Brainbuster by Nagata gets 2. Nagata sends Yano into the exposed corner and he hits a corner knee strike. Saito suplex by a bridge by Nagata gets 3.
Winner- Yuji Nagata **3/4 ( Better than usual for a Yano match as Nagata sold well for Yano’s generic brawling spots and it was a fun finish watching Nagata easily outsmart Yano. )

Block A- Lance Archer (2) vs. Prince Devitt (2) w/ Bad Luck Fale
Archer tosses Devitt to the corner and charges but misses. Devitt stomps away but it has no effect on Archer. Big boot by Archer and Fale pulls Devitt to the floor to give him a chance to recover. He distracts Archer which allows Devitt to clip the knee of Archer. Devitt works over the knee in the corner and he catches Archer with a dropkick. Devitt drives the knees of Archer into the mat and he throws some kicks at the bad knee. Facebuster by Archer and he hits a clothesline. Archer presses Devitt to the floor and onto Fale!!!! Back in, Archer hits an Avalanche into the corner and he charges again but misses. Devitt uses a chair to distract the ref which allows him to charge with the other chair but Archer punches the chair back into Devitt’s face. F-5 by Archer but he tosses Devitt into the ref. Archer sandwiches Devitt between two chairs and he goes up. Archer misses the moonsault off the top and he lands on the chairs. Devitt goes to the second rope and he hits Archer in the back with the chair. Devitt puts the chair on Archer and he goes up. Double stomp off the top onto the chair on Archer gets 2!!! Archer goes for the Blackout but Devitt escapes. He charges at Devitt but runs into Falr which allows Devitt to roll him up for 2. Chokeslam by Archer gets 2. Arhcer charges in the corner but eats boot. Devitt goes up but Archer grabs him and goes for the chokeslam. Fale tries to come in but Taka Michinoku grabs his leg and archer hits a big boot to knock him out of the ring. Devitt goes for a crossbody off the second rope but Archer catches him and hits Blackout for 3.
Winner- Lance Archer *** ( They over killed the interference here but it was a fun battle of who can be the bigger dick than the other and Archer came out looking strong being able to handle both Devitt and Fale. )

Block A- Katsuyori Shibata (2) vs. Satoshi Kojima (2)
They trade forearms to start and Shibata knocks him down with a kick to the chest, forcing Kojima to bail. Back in, Shibata hits some uppercuts but Kojima fires back with forearms. Shibata knocks him down with another kick to the chest and he hits some kicks to the right shoulder of Kojima. Shibata goes to work on the leg of Kojima and he grabs a rear spinning toe hold but Kojima makes the ropes to break. Figure-4 by Shibata but Kojima makes the ropes to break. Ukuza kick in the corner by Shibata and he charges again but misses. Kojima chops away on Shibata in the corner but Shibata comes back with some kicks to the chest in the corner. Hard forearms in the corner by Shibata and he face washes Kojima a few times. Olay kick by Shibata but Kojima comes back with a corner forearm. Big boot by Shibata knocks Kojima off the apron and Shibata follows. He sends Kojima into the railings and Shibata hits an Ukuza kick against the railings. Suplex on the floor by Shibata and they brawl in the crowd. Suplex on the floor by Shibata and he drives Kojima face first into a wall. Kojima catches Shibata with a chop block on the apron and back in, they trade forearms. Rolling elbow by Kojima and he hits a DDT. Ace Crusher by Kojima and he goes for a suplex but Shibata counters into the sleeper. Kojima makes the ropes to break and Shibata throws some kicks to the chest. Basement dropkick in the corner by Shibata and he hits a butterfly suplex. Saito suplex by Shibata and he connects with a second one. Kick to the back by Shibata but Kojima comes back with a lariat. Brainbuster by Kojima and he hits another lariat for 3.
Winner- Satoshi Kojima **** ( This was an awesome battle. They had some beautiful exchanges and it features some the hardest hitting and stiffest action you will find. The first stand out match of the G1 so far. )

Block A- Davey Boy Smith Jr. (0) vs. Togi Makabe (2)
Lariats by Makabe to start and he clotheslines Smith Jr. to the floor. Makabe follows and he gets sent into the railings by Smith Jr. Big boot by Smith Jr. knocks Makabe into the front row. Back in, Smith Jr. steps on the groin on Makabe and he grabs a double nerve hold. He converts that into a chinlock but then soon releases the hold. Camel Clutch by Smith Jr. and he stretches Makabe across his back using Makabe’s HAIR!!!! Delayed suplex by Smith Jr. gets 2. Chinlock by Smith Jr. and he releases for 2. Smith Jr. goes for the Gotch Piledriver but Makabe backdrops out. Rights by Makabe and he hits a corner clothesline. Punches in the corner by Makabe and he hits a Northern lights suplex for 2. Big boot by Smith Jr. but Makabe catches him with a lariat for 2. Powerslam by Smith Jr. gets 2. Olympic Slam by Smith Jr. gets 2. Makabe blocks a Tiger Suplex attempt and he hits a clothesline. Makabe goes up but Smith Jr. stops him and follows up. Superplex by Smith Jr. and they trade forearms. Lariat by Makabe but Smith Jr. catches him with a big boot. Clothesline by Smith Jr. and he hits a sit-out powerbomb for 3.
Winner- Davey Boy Smith Jr. *** ( Both guys were going through the motions here, they did their usual spots and everything was crisp but it was stuff we’re already seen before. )

Block B- Kota Ibushi (2) vs. Tetsuya Naito (0)
Feeling out process to start and Ibushi connects with a dropkick. Dropkick to the leg by Naito and he hits a second one in the corner. Naito stomps on the leg of Ibushi and he drives his knee into the mat. Naito does it again and Ibushi retreats into the corner to recover. Basement dropkick to the leg by Naito and he grabs the Indian Deathlock but Ibushi makes the ropes. Hurricanrana by Ibushi forces Naito to bail and Ibushi follows up with the springboard Asai moonsault to the floor. Back in, Ibushi hits a springboard dropkick for 2. Kick to the chest by Ibushi and he hits a standing SSP for 2. Kneebreaker by Naito and he goes up. Missile dropkick to the leg by Naito and he hits a second kneebreaker. Dropkick to the leg by Naito and he grabs the Figure-4. Ibushi makes the ropes to break so Naito slaps him around a bit. This leads to a slap fest and Ibushi hits some forearms. Slaps from Naito and Ibushi hits a pele kick. Enzuigiri by Naito and he hits a basement enzuigiri. Flying forearm by Naito and he hits a German suplex for 2. Release Dragon Suplex by Ibushi but Naito comes back with a wheelbarrow roll-up for 2. Roll-up by Naito gets 2 and Ibushi hits a high kick. Sit-out powerbomb by Ibushi gets 2 and he goes up. Phoenix Splash by Ibushi gets 3.
Winner- Kota Ibushi ***3/4 ( Kind of wish they didn’t work on the leg in the early going cause once they went into the high spots this match was terrific. These two had awesome chemistry and I would love to see what they could do with more time. )

Block B- Minoru Suzuki (0) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (0)
Feeling out process to start and they reach a stand still. Knees by Suzuki and he charges in the corner but Nakamura catches him with a knee of his own. He goes for the corner knee lift but misses and Suzuki grabs the Triangle Choke in the ropes. They go to the floor and Suzuki sends Nakamura into the railings. Suzuki wraps Nakamura’s arm around the railings and he kicks the railings. Cross arm breaker on the apron by Suzuki and back in, Nakamura hits some forearms. Suzuki stops that with a kick to the bad arm of Nakamura. Kimura by Suzuki but Nakamura goes to the ropes to break. Kick to the head by Nakamura and he hits a knee lift on the floor. Knee drop from the apron to the back of the neck of Suzuki by Nakamura and back in, he hits some knees to Suzuki in the corner. He chokes Suzuki with his boot and puts Suzuki on the top turnbuckle. Knee lift in the corner by Nakamura gets 2. Big boot by Suzuki and he hits a running kick to the chest for 2. Nakamura counters a cross arm breaker into one of his own but Suzuki makes the ropes to break. Kicks to the shoulder by Nakamura but Suzuki comes back with some head butts. Snapmare by Suzuki and he hits a running boot for 2. Spinning heel kick by Nakamura and he hits the lungblower. Release back suplex by Nakamura and he charges but Suzuki catches him with a dropkick. They trade slaps and Suzuki grabs the sleeper. He releases and goes for the Gotch Piledriver but Nakamura blocks. Nakamura counters the sleeper and connects with a dropkick. Nakamura goes to the second rope and hits a flying knee strike off the second rope. Nakamura counters the sleeper into the cross arm breaker but Suzuki escapes. Gotch Piledriver gets 3.
Winner- Minoru Suzuki ***1/2 ( Really good match with some good striking from both guys and a good finish with Suzuki catching Nakamura at the right time and putting him away. )

Block A- Kazuchika Okada (0) vs. Hirooki Goto (0)
Okada misses a dropkick to start and Goto connects with a shoulderblock. Snapmare and Goto hits a kick to the back. Chinlock by Goto and he drives his elbow into the head of Okada. Chops by Goto and he stomps the leg of Okada in the corner. Corner dropkick to the leg by Goto and he goes for a half crab but Okada goes to the ropes to block. Okada bails but Goto follows and he sends Okada into the railings. Goto charges but misses and he falls in the front row. Hanging DDT on the floor by Okada and back in, Goto hits some chops. Knee to the gut by Okada and he snapmares Goto into a basement dropkick. Rear cravat by Okada but Goto makes the ropes to break. Okada stomps away in the corner and he hits a Bow Tie neckbreaker for 2. Corner back elbow by Okada but Goto comes back with a lariat. Clothesline by Goto and he throws some kicks to the chest. Spinning heel kick in the corner by Goto and he hits a Saito suplex for 2. Okada blocks a German suplex attempt and they trade forearms. Goto charges in the corner but Okada catches him and hits a Air Raid Crash backbreaker. Slam by Okada and he goes up. Flying elbow drop by Okada and he rolls Goto into the STF but Goto makes the ropes. Dropkick by Okada and he goes for Rainmaker but Goto counters into the Fireman’s Carry Backbreaker. Goto blocks another Rainmaker attempt with a head butt and he hits a Northern lariat in the corner. Goto puts Okada on top and follows up. Samoan Drop Neckbreaker off the top by Goto gets 2!!! Shouten Kai by Goto gets 3.
Winner- Hirooki Goto ***1/2 ( This was the same good match these two could have together in their sleeper. Nothing blow away but everything did they did was executed well and the final few minutes were worthwhile. )

Block A- Tomohiro Ishii (0) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (0)
Cravat by Tanahashi to start but Ishii gets his foot on the ropes to break. Forearms by Ishii and he hits some head butts in the corner. He charges but eats elbow and Tanahashi hits a springboard crossbody. Ishii bails and Tanahashi follows. He sends Ishii into the ring post but Ishii sends him into the railings. Powerslam on the floor by Ishii and he sends Tanahashi into the railings again. Back in, they trade forearms and Ishii chops away in the corner. Tanahashi fights back with forearms so Ishii pounds away with forearms and chops. Corner splash by Tanahashi and he hits a flying forearm. Dropkick to the leg by Tanahashi and he hits a Dragon screw leg sweep forcing Ishii to bail. Baseball slide by Tanahashi and he hits a slingshot pescado to the floor. Back in, Tanahashi slams Ishii and goes to the second rope. He misses the summersault senton and Ishii hits a corner clothesline. Dropkick by Tanahashi but Ishii comes back with a Release German suplex. Another dropkick by Tanahashi and both men are down. They trade forearms and Ishii hits a HARD slap. Saito suplex by Ishii and he hits a powerbomb for 2. Slingblade by Tanahashi and he hits a Straight Jacket German suplex for 2. Slam by Tanahashi and he goes up. Ishii crotches him and follows up. Delayed superplex by Ishii and he hits the Last Ride for 2!!! Ishii goes for a suplex but Tanahashi escapes. Head butt by Ishii and he hits a lariat for 2!!! Northern lariat by Ishii but Tanahashi counters a slam attempt into the Final Cut. Release Dragon suplex by Tanahashi and he hits the Slingblade for 2!!! Dragon suplex by Tanahashi gets 2. Tanahashi goes up and misses the Frog Splash. Inside Cradle by Ishii gets 2!!!! They trade forearms and Tanahashi catches him with a head butt. Ishii blocks a Dragon Suplex and he hits an enzuigiri. Brainbuster gets 2!!! SSD by Ishii gets 3!!!!!
Winner- Tomohiro Ishii ****1/2 ( Credit to the announcer first off, as the excitement and passion you heard in his voice during the match helped put this over as something special. Terrific match with Tanahashi going heel knowing Ishii was the underdog here and Ishii had the never say die attitude and refused to lose. The last few minutes were heart pounding and Ishii got the biggest win of his career. Awesome main event. )

Standings:
Block A: Kojima (4), Archer (4), Devitt (2), Shibata (2), Smith Jr. (2), Makabe (2), Goto (2), Ishii (2), Okada (0), Tanahashi (0)

Block B: Anderson (4), Ibushi (4), Nagata (4), Takahashi (4), Benjamin (2), Suzuki (2), Nakamura (0), Tenzan (0), Yano (0), Naito (0)

The 411: A huge step up from Day One, as there were two excellent matches and not a bad match to be found. Everyone put in a good effort with only a few guys going through the motions. The action is starting to pick up and the next few days should be exciting to watch. This is one show from the G1 that is well worth going out of your way to see.
Final Score:  8.5   [ Very Good ]