Tanahashi makes G1 final after draw with Okada. Great decision.

I've been watching exclusively NJPW since somewhere around the time WWE decided to do a propaganda show for SA. I've been enjoying it but man there's nothing that kills my interest more than a draw. I just feel like I've wasted my time watching because there was no closure, and NJPW does it way way way more frequently than I'm used to given I watched mostly WWE for a decade. It's frustrating.

Don't really feel that way. Everyone knew going in that for Okada, a draw=a loss.

For the last couple of years there's been this drawn out storyline of whether Tanahashi still had it in him to beat the new Ace which saw it's recent chapter involve him attempting to defend his record only to lose to a single Rainmaker (I believe I am not misremembering here?). So now we come to the Finals of A block. Tanahashi. Okada. Potential main event of WK on the line. Can Tanahashi reclaim his former glory by taking down the person thats had his number and having the opportunity to hold the title again? Or has his torch - which was already passed to Okada - finally been snuffed out?

It's a great story set up against the backdrop of two of the best wrestlers on an enormous stage of the G1 tournament.

The result is "shrug who knows time ran out thanks for watching". It's deflating. Makes it hard to get invested in stories they are telling when they give no ending/closure to it.

Not knowing the backdrop of the past few years very well, I thought it was okay.

With the context you provided, I can understand some annoyance.

A 30-minute time limit G1 match really isn't the perfect spot to "close" the Tanahashi-Okada storyline anyway.

This match was pretty simple. Okada had to beat Tanahashi. Tanahashi did not HAVE to beat Okada. Tanahashi wrestled in such a way as to make it very hard for Okada to win in the time limit. He also had the upper hand at the point that the time limit expired.

I just don't see the problem with this finish, even with the long story arc between the two.

But then I'm just happy we will get a more fresh G1 finals matchup. Tanahashi-Naito, Tanahashi-Omega or Tanahashi-Ibushi. And they could go any of those directions. Much much better than Okada facing any of them.

Haven't followed the tournament due to personal stuff, but I can see your point. I can imagine in the pre-shootout days in the NHL that people are bound to be really irritated when they spend their money, they see these great hockey players play for 60 minutes, 5 minutes of OT and that's it. Both gets a point and that's done. The game is over. There are no resolutions. Go home. I can imagine the people watching it seems very irritated in the end. I'm sure those people want, instead of a shootout, to go into more OT until next goal wins, but I don't think that idea would be too ideal from the NHL's Higher Ups perspective.

That stated, G1 Climax is a tournament where points do matter, and the cool thing is that rivalries aren't meant to be closed in the tournament and a rivalry can carry over into the Fall. From what I read in the above post, Tanahashi does not need to win in regulation to make the finals, Okada does, so of course, Tanahashi can be booked to map out a strategy to force out the time limit draw and do what he can to make Okada struggle to attempt to win. Plus with their history, there was no way that either of them can get a regulation win (all three? of their G1 matches went the time limit draw). As long as people understands that going into watching the match, I don't think people would feel as cheated at the end result.

That stated again, the 60 minute Omega/Okada match last year, I can understand where people are really irate about the end result. A big world title match is on the line, and almost 12,000 people paid to see it live, and they went the distance and no true resolution has been made (until the very next year). I say the crowd have every right to feel cheated even if the match really delivered as a main event. The G1 Climax 28 Day 17 main event? I don't think not so much.

So what are we going to get, people?

A Tanahashi win? If so, do we get Tanahashi-Omega or Tanahashi-Jericho? (I'll be shocked if Jericho drops the IC belt before WK.)

An Ibushi win? If so ... well we almost certainly have to get Ibushi-Omega with the storyline of Omega having never beaten Ibushi (and Omega almost certainly doing so at WK ... I'm on the record as predicting Omega will drop the gold in MSG to Okada).

Tanahashi wins G1, loses certificate to Jay White at KOPW. Also at that event, Toru Yano defeats Omega for the IWGP HW title. Jay White vs Toru Yano to headline Wrestle Kingdom.

But seriously, I think Ibushi wins, and we get Omega/Ibushi on January 4.

I was mad at the Jay White suggestion, then relieved when I got to the Yano bit.

What I find most fascinating is that there are four co-main event spots for WK 13.

Omega - lock as IWGP champion
Jericho - lock as IC champion (could lose before WK but I doubt it)
Tanahashi OR Ibushi - lock as G1 winner

Okada? Can he really NOT be part of one of the co-mains?
Naito? He almost certainly looks out unless he faces Jericho again.
The Tanahashi-Ibushi loser can't be totally dismissed.

So many scenarios.

The weird thing is, the match I'm most looking forward to is Omega-Ishii pre-WK. I Ishii.

Shibata!

Didn't really want that outcome, but great match.

Tanahashi vs. Ibushi was the only match I watched from the tournament (so far). Ibushi sucks. That's what I got from the match. I liked him prior to this match.

Just heard Tanahashi's postmatch comments from the G1 final. Pretty clear the WK main will be Tanahashi-Omega. Still think it's a near-lock Jericho holds the IC title to WK. So who does he defend against? Okada? If not ... Okada really isn't in one of the two main events? I just find that really unlikely. Oddly, I don't really want to see Jericho-Okada, either.

Poor Naito

Tanahashi has to put his Wrestle Kingdom title shot on the line against Okada at Destruction in Kobe on Sept. 23. If Okada wins, we riot?

Also, Omega vs. Ishii at Destruction in Hiroshima on Sept. 15.

NJPW legit sucks right now and is only overshadowed by how much WWE sucks right now.

wow, I hadn't even heard of the show that happened last night until I searched recent NJPW stuff when I saw your post just now. I forgot NJPW even existed after the G-1. Seeing a list of champions now is hilarious since all 3 heavyweight belts are held by Gaijin wrestlers.

I do see that Meltzer said that the main event was "one of the best tags I've ever seen". It seems that pro NJPW marks are slamming Da Meltz for that comment since it wasn't that good.

100% agree NJPW sucks ass right now and I haven't been interested in it in a long time. Matches haven't been great and guys I think are average are getting pushes. Jay White is so meh to me. Saw him live and the crowd popped huge for his entrance and then was dead for the rest of the match. Also Bullet Club, Elite and Chaos are complete garbage now.

Pretty much given up on all wrestling right now except NXT (which is awesome), Mae Young Classic (which has been decent) and Lucha Underground (which has taken a substantial step back this season, but is certainly still watchable).

I can't lol at the WK card enough. I have no idea how people tout NJPW as the GOAT despite NJPW's refusal to tell their best stories in favor of thrown together garbage featuring Jay White

njpw hasn't been the greatest for almost a year sadly. they hired a new president in May that's more focused on expansion into oceania and western countries (hence jay white/omega/jericho being the focal point since shortly after) and the booking has taken a huge hit as a result (obviously the in ring quality dips when he focuses on white/jericho at this point over okada/naito).

Now it's alright but not must watch. NXT is the best promotion in the world right now (though I have gripes about their booking just refusing to ever let an over face actually achieve anything and then turning them heel for HEAT. Gargano just losing clean to Chiampa multiple times and then turning is a pretty big example of the problem).

Im with you on the Failure (Gargano) turn being lolbad and not at all what I would have done if I were booking the show.

I still think it has nothing on refusing to tell the perfect Naito story that fell into their laps instead dragging Okada's reign out to break the record then doing absolutely nothing remotely interesting with him after he dropped the title. Only for him to put over Jericho so Jericho could disappear for 6 months.

Or the fact Omega is main eventing against Tanahashi, a guy he hasn't interacted with in well over a year, instead of the dude he's established a relationship with this entire year tag teaming and with prior history. Or the dude who broke up the bullet club and has kinda just went off and done his own thing and never resolved anything.

Or the fact Jay White is getting the biggest push for a wrestler returned from excursion we've seen since Okada.

Or that Juice Robinson's awesome story about finally making it and winning a title quickly spiraled into him losing to everyone in the G1 and losing his first defense to another guy who is never around.

Or the fact that Chaos are terrible friends and are basically the worst stable of all time.

Seriously NJPW's booking has been terribad and they're lucky WWE is somehow one upping them in the terrible booking category.

Wait they turned Gargano? I haven't watched since the last Takeover but that just seems like a terrible move, he was the biggest face on the show and they already had heels.

Agree with pretty much everything said about NJPW. Rolled my eyes so hard when I saw the card.