
–> “G1 CLIMAX XX ~20TH YEARS ANNIVERSARY~” <--
NJPW, 8/15/10 (WPW/PPV)
Tokyo Ryogoku Kokugikan
11,000 Fans - Super No Vacancy
1. G1 Climax - Block B: Yujiro Takahashi [4] beat Yuji Nagata [8] (5:28) with a moonsault press.
2. G1 Climax - Block B: Shinsuke Nakamura [9] vs. Go Shiozaki
[9] went to a draw (30:00) when the time limit expired.
3. G1 Climax - Block B: Satoshi Kojima [10] beat Hirooki Goto [8] (12:09) with a lariat.
4. G1 Climax - Block A: Toru Yano [8] beat Prince Devitt [8] (7:26) with the Kagamiwari.
5. G1 Climax - Block A: Tetsuya Naito [7] beat Manabu Nakanishi [8] (10:52) with a front cradle.
6. G1 Climax - Block A: Hiroshi Tanahashi [9] beat Togi Makabe [8] (11:58) with a Japanese leg roll clutch hold.
7. Special Tag Match: Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson beat Strong Man & Wataru Inoue (8:20) when Anderson used the Gun Stun on Strong Man.
8. G1 Climax Special 6 Man Tag Match: Genichiro Tenryu, Toshiaki Kawada & Tiger Mask beat Riki Choshu, Super Strong Machine & AKIRA (8:17) when Tiger used a flying cradle on AKIRA.
9. G1 Climax - Final: Satoshi Kojima beat Hiroshi Tanahashi (21:25) with a lariat.
* Freelancer Satoshi Kojima becomes the first outsider in history to win the G1 Climax in its 20th year. Though not an outsider in the same sense as say a Yoshihiro Takayama, because he was trained and raised in New Japan with frequent returns, this adds freshness to the G1 by ending the common formula of an outsider losing in the final that has been done so much.
* Kojima said he will now chase the IWGP Heavyweight Title and should appear in New Japan regularly, though whether he tours or not isn’t known yet.
* “Mr. G1″ Masahiro Chono appeared before the main event as a special ring announcer.
* Masato Tanaka reappeared after the sixth match, attacking Makabe and challenging him to an IWGP Heavyweight Title match! How this will be handled with Kojima’s newfound contendership remains to be seen.
* Nakamura vs. Shiozaki was said to be an excellent match with the time limit preventing Nakamura from reaching the final. A win and he would have but Shiozaki wouldn’t have due to his loss to Kojima in the group stage. A rematch has already been booked for NOAH’s 8/22 super-show with no time limit!
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Block A:
1. Hiroshi Tanahashi [9]
2. Togi Makabe [8]
- Manabu Nakanishi [8]
- Prince Devitt [8]
- Toru Yano [8]
6. Tetsuya Naito [7]
7. Strong Man [4]
8. Karl Anderson [4]
Block B:
1. Satoshi Kojima [10]
2. Shinsuke Nakamura [9]
- Go Shiozaki [9]
4. Hirooki Goto [8]
5. Yuji Nagata [8]
6. Giant Bernard [6]
7. Yujiro Takahashi [4]
8. Wataru Inoue [2]
