[Results] New Japan, 8/16/09

11,000 fans headed to Sumo Hall today to witness the end of a very entertaining G1 Climax. Most of the attention was on the tournament matches, although there were some other highlights, such as NOAH's Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Genba Hirayanagi attacking Jado & Gedo after the fifth match, leading into the upcoming Korakuen show where the teams meet. The first semi final was between two men who were briefly allies earlier this decade as friends of Yoshihiro Takayama, back when Makabe was a mischievious but underachieving upstart and Sugiura was still a junior heavyweight, appearing in NJ's Best of the Super Jr. in 2003. Makabe was the last of New Japan's "Four Heroes" that Sugiura hadn't faced, following defeats to Tanahashi and Nakamura, and victories over Goto. Sugiura was hungry and aggressive, badly wanting that place in the final and went for Makabe viciously, driving him into bloodshed quickly - as Makabe was bandaged up from yesterday. This put Makabe on the back foor for a while as Sugiura's brute aggression troubled him but he fought back well, and after a series of German suplexes and finally the top rope King Kong kneedrop, put Sugiura down for the three count.
New Japan's biggest match followed as the leaders of the young generation, Tanahashi and Nakamura met, in what was a main event itself. Tanahashi, the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, hadn't had an easy road to the semis, while Nakamura further transformed himself in the tournament by becoming an almost unstoppable fighting machine. This led to an intense fight and even the 100% Ace couldn't stop Nakamura's onslaught, succumbing to an avalanche-style Landslide and a couple of deadly Boma Ye knee kicks.
And so it came down to one of New Japan's biggest rivalries of the year in the G1 Climax. The man who orchestrated the coup d'tat of Makabe's GBH, Nakamura, taking most of his allies and forming CHAOS, leaving Makabe out in the cold. And, not to be forgotten, the man who beat Makabe in two singles matches over the space of a month in March and April, then dominated him in tags later on. All the odds were against Makabe, the anti-hero fan favourite, and the fans were with him, a strange atmosphere in the air that often only comes with pro wrestling's greatest tournament. Nakamura ordered his seconds to go backstage, wanting to finish off Makabe alone once and for all. And things went largely as expected - the undefeated Nakamura, with seven back to back wins behind him, showing no mercy and obliterating Makabe. And yet, no matter what he tried, he couldn't keep the bloody Makabe down, the underdog's fighting spirit reaching new levels. Makabe mounted an heroic comeback, culminating with him blocking the Boma Ye, hitting a Spider German suplex, and landing his top rope King Kong kneedrop for the win!
Togi Makabe, the every day "salaryman" pro wrestler who lingered in the midcard for years, who clawed his way up and yet still found himself finishing second place in so many tournaments and big matches - finally did it! 11,000 fans screamed in joy and chanted Makabe's name, and were so happy that even chanted "Honma! Honma! Honma!" when Makabe's tag partner entered the ring. Makabe officially declared war on Tanahashi after the match, because despite no longer being a maligned heel, he's not exactly the typical babyface either. The "Unchained Gorilla" finally took a major step forward today, although it must be said that Nakamura possibly came out of the tournament looking even stronger and could be more dangerous than ever from now on.
ZERO1 Fire Festival winner, Ryouji Sai, made an appearance after the main event and demanded a singles match with Makabe to decide the strongest man of summer. A singles collision between the two looks all but set for the 9/27 Kobe World Hall show, an event that could also host a Tanahashi vs. TAJIRI rematch. Throwing another spanner into the mix was legend Masahiro Chono challenging Tanahashi to an IWGP Heavyweight Title match at the 10/12 Sumo Hall show that will be his 25th anniversary performance. Just what will happen in the coming months in New Japan?