Tomohiro Ishii pinned SANADA in a very good back and forth. Both guys throughout this tournament have been putting on great matches, with Ishii being the consensus Tournament MVP. In this match, they both fought like they had something to prove, delivering multiple counters to each other’s signatures. On a normal night, this probably would have stolen the show, although this was not a normal night with Omega-Ibushi.
Still, they fought hard, and in the end, both men come out of this tournament better than they were. Ishii finishes the G1 with 10 points, and pin-fall victories over the Heavyweight, US, and NEVER champions, so he’ll have a busy fall. SANADA finishes the tournament with eight points, and while he wasn’t able to pin a champion, he’ll likely be taken far more seriously as a singles star than before.
Zack Sabre Jr. pinned Tetsuya Naito in a heartbreaking upset. From a booking standpoint, it was interesting predicting what they would do. If Naito had won, then Ibushi would have been eliminated, meaning that if Ibushi won or went to a draw with Omega, Naito would win the block. However, it’s clear that they wanted to give all the focus to Omega and Ibushi in the main event, so Naito got the short end of the stick.
From an in-ring standpoint, this match was a very good clash of styles. Early on, Zack let his emotions get the best of him, and a tranquillo Naito was able to take advantage. However, he struggled once Zack composed himself and was able to use his arsenal of submissions. Ultimately, Naito was able to hit Destino, but just like at Wrestle Kingdom 12, he got caught up in his emotions, played to the crowd, and tried to go for a second Destino, but Zack countered, hitting the Zack Driver for the three-count.
Now that Naito has lost his two most important matches in the exact same way, this sets up a great story for the fall as he tries to once again regain control of himself. Zack, meanwhile, has wins over the US and NEVER champions. They both finish the tournament with 12 points.
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