[Results] New Japan, 8/9/09

Back to back wins in Osaka main events have pushed Tanahashi to joint first in Block A of the 2009 G1 Climax. Tanahashi pinned Toru Yano in what proved to be a very tough match for the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, meaning he has won three big main events (Nakanishi, Bernard, Yano) in the same building recently. Pro Wrestling NOAH assassin Takashi Sugiura is still without a win in his campaign but things improved a little today as he battled Nagata to a 30 minute draw. Sugiura probably has to win his last three matches against possibly easier opposition than his first three - Nakanishi, Iizuka, and Goto - to have any chance of reaching the semi final round.
Last year's winner Goto bounced back from two losses early in the tournament by pinning Nakanishi in the sixth match today. This was Goto's second win of the year over the previous IWGP Heavyweight Champion, having pinned him in a singles match at the at the smaller companion to the same building, Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium #2, back in April. Bernard is another who finally showed signs of good form after a shakey start, handing Makabe his second loss of the tournament today. Shinsuke Nakamura is the only unbeaten wrestler in Block B now after making fairly short work of old rival Hiroyoshi Tenzan. Tenzan wasn't 100% after his match with Iizuka yesterday that saw him get roughed up by CHAOS but there are no excuses in the G1, and Nakamura decimated him with his knee kick to the face - called the Boma Ye - to go 3-0 in the tournament and continue looking dangerous.
The first tournament match today was interesting as it featured ZERO1 World Heavyweight Champion, Masato Tanaka, against a man who worked for ZERO1 before an absence from pro wrestling, Takao Omori. This was a close, evenly fought contest, but Omori's early form hit a hurdle as he fell to the Sliding D. These two sit with Tanahashi on four points at the top of Block A now.