5 Times Toru Yano Played Spoiler In The G1 Climax

2. Tetsuya Naito – G1 Climax 29

Going into the G1 Climax 29, IWGP Intercontinental champion Tetsuya Naito was the firm favourite to win the tournament. Before the block announcements, many expected the Ungovernable One to start strong.

Unfortunately, his first opponent was CHAOS’s Toru Yano. You can never predict how a match with him will go.

The match itself lasted just over three minutes. Despite its lack of technical skills and athleticism, it was a bout that managed to entertain the fans who were firmly behind the loveable rogue. Turnbuckles were removed, roll-ups were executed and Naito even tried to play some mind games with Yano. In the end, in typical Yano style, Naito got hit with a low blow and a roll-up was enough to defeat Naito.

Even though this match was very early in the tournament, many have called it the pivotal moment that could have taken Naito through to the final. Also, Yano never did get his Intercontinental title shot. However, if Yano beats Naito again, we might see a possible IWGP Heavyweight title match between the two.

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1. Minoru Suzuki – G1 Climax 2013

During the 2013 G1, Minoru Suzuki had been picking up win after win in one of his most successful tournaments. He had managed to beat the likes of Karl Anderson, Shelton Benjamin and Kota Ibushi. For many, it almost looked as if Suzuki was on his way to his first G1 win. He was at the top of the block with only losses to Naito, Nagata and Tenzan.

His final match was with Toru Yano and all Suzuki needed was to win this seemingly simple match to get to the final. Unfortunately, Yano is as unpredictable as they come. In a surprisingly long match for Yano in the G1 (lasting just over nine minutes), the King of Spoilers got a roll-up victory over the King of Wrestling.

That loss combined with the defeat against Naito meant that, despite having the same amount of points, the Stardust Genius advanced as the winner of the block. It was a massive blow to Suzuki as the place in the final seemed inevitable.

Apart from causing trouble for Suzuki’s 2013 G1, this match seemed to have a long-lasting impact. Since then, Suzuki is now 3-0 in G1 matches against Yano. That is always going to frustrate someone as technically sound. Although both men are in different blocks this year, you can bet that Suzuki will be out for retribution at some point.

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• Toru Yano
• new japan pro wrestling
• G1 Climax
• NJPW

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