This is some recap show that has matches from NJPW Summer Night Fever In Nagoya 8/7/1991.
G1 Climax 1991 Block B - Shinya Hashimoto vs Crusher Bam Bam Bigelow
Hash has a beard here and is wearing an unusual rope around his waist. He had to fight just to get to the ring.
They shoulder battle to start. Hash hits some kicks to the body but gets caught and enzugiri'd. Hash rolls out and gets splashed in the corner when he comes back in. Bam Bam misses a second splash and Hash kicks him so hard he goes over the top. They battle and Bam Bam suplexes him.
Hash misses a spin kick and gets caught with a chinlock. They trade shots and Hash slams him and hits a nice jumping elbow drop. Bam Bam hits some headbutts to the body and a great brainbuster.
Bam Bam missed an outside to inside slingshot and Hash hit a ddt, then a spin kick. He hit another ddt and won it.
It wasn't a classic and the finish was definitely rushed. This should have gone double the time. Bam Bam held up Shinya's arm after.
G1 Climax 1991 A Block - Scott Norton vs Keiji Mutoh
Mutoh gets shoved back early. He slips on a leapfrog but hits a nice dropkick. Mutoh then hits a nice spin kick and headlock takeovers him. Mutoh charges into Norton and gets a stun gun for it. He then gets picked up for a gorilla press and thrown throat first into the top rope then gets it on the railing too.
Norton hits a neckbreaker and a neck crank then leg drops him for 2. Norton backbreakers him and then elbow drops him. Norton charges at Mutoh near the ropes and ends up going over them himself. Mutoh then hits a twisting dive over the top rope onto him and then handspring back elbows him on the floor. They go back in and Mutoh dropkicks him off the top then crossbodies him off the top for 2.
Mutoh moonsaults him and everyone thinks he has won it as they even throw streamers, but it is a 2 count. Mutoh tries another moonsault but Norton moves then lariats him. Mutoh hits 2 nice strikes then is caught with a powerslam and Norton wins.
Surprising ending there. They really had the crowd on the near fall at the end. I thought Norton took a little too much offense here and looked a little weaker than he should have. Mutoh was a great face here though. His moves looked really good and his charisma really showed off here to a crowd that loved him. Even though his moves wouldn't be super special today, the way he did them was and you can clearly see why he was such a big deal in the 90's. The match only went about 10 minutes and could have been a little bit better with more time and Norton doing more big man stuff to even things out.
G1 Climax 1991 Block B - Riki Choshu vs Masa Chono
Riki got confetti in his hair which is always funny to me.
Chono hits a nice slap against the ropes early and Choshu gives him a shot against the ropes back. Chono takes a headscissors early on and then gives him one back. Chono goes for Riki's scorpion deathlock but Riki quickly hits the ropes out of it. Chono hits a couple of nice punches then yakuza kicks Riki hard.
He tries it again and Riki comes back with a shot and knocks him down. Riki then blasts him with a lariat and puts him in a scorpion deathlock. Riki suplexes him and hits another lariat for 2. Chono's mouth is slightly bleeding and Chono ducks a big lariat.
Chono goes up top and is caught with a superplex, but he gets a surprise dropkick back. He hits a couple more yakuza kicks and sends Riki out. Chono then comes off the apron with a shoulder but the camera's mostly miss it.
Chono slams him then hits a diving shoulderblock off the top. Chono tries an octopus stretch but Riki gets out. He then gives Chono a surprise backdrop then hits another. Chono blocks an enzugiri then hits two of his own. He then STF's Riki, but Riki hits the ropes. Chono gets the STF back on and Riki taps out for the Chono win.
I liked the pacing here and the crowd was into it. The moves felt like they mattered and I thought it was okay, but not a classic.
Overall thoughts: The Mutoh/Norton match was the best match on this. Mutoh just looked like such a star. The other two matches were decent bouts and it ended up being a good show.
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