August 31, 201312 yr Author comment_5559684 Last few minutes. The New Japan NWO is at ringside. I'd really be interested in seeing this in full sometime. Tenzan's mouth is all bloody again, and the crowd is hot. I loved the headbutt battle. Sasaki gets the win. The post-match makes me think this is the final of the G1, but there are still more matches, so I'm not sure what this is. I'm guessing he just won his block?
August 31, 201312 yr comment_5559687 Nope this is the final. Any particular reason it was jip? I believe in full it's only 8 mins
August 31, 201312 yr comment_5559705 http://www.purolove.com/njpw/history/g1climax97.php 8/10 Tenzan match is for the IWGP title, i'm guessing set up by Tenzan beating Hash in the Semi's of the G1 8/31 Kensuke match is for the IWGP set up by Kensuke wining the G1
September 20, 201312 yr comment_5563791 This seemed pretty heated with the crowd into it. Would have liked to seen the whole match as was final.
September 25, 201312 yr comment_5564710 I'm not a fan of either guy at this stage, but they did belt the shit out of each other and the crowd was really into it. I'd like to see the whole match at some point.
December 30, 201311 yr comment_5577925 Only about two minutes of action shown but jam packed with some stiff shots and dramatic moments. Felt like to me this should have been Tenzan's moment to win with both Chono and Muta cheering him on in the corner. Buff too oddly enough. Sasaki picks up the win and wins the tournament in an early finish for the G-1.
March 6, 201510 yr comment_5657183 A quite reasonable sprint, although it was nothing standout. Probably looks better on highlights than in full. Sasaki was quite a bland power wrestler at this stage with little charisma. He'd get a lot better in the 00's. Wrestling a grand total of 21:29 to win the G1 was a complete joke. The whole event was the shortest in history and felt like a one night tournament watching the comm. This brevity meant that from a match quality, and indeed overall perspective it was the worst G1 of the 90's. Tenzan had been the main story of the event and seemed to connect more with the fans. But Ken'skay was Choshu's boy, and this tournament was Choshu-ism at its worst.
November 22, 20159 yr comment_5711283 This G1 was a single-elimination tournament and not a round-robin, so I could see why Kensuke's victory may ring a little hollow. That aside, we see a pretty good closing stretch in front of a jacked crowd. Tenzan has NWO Japan with him, including Vicious & Delicious, but can't follow up with his win over Hash.
February 1, 20187 yr comment_5830792 Kensuke Sasaki vs Hiroyoshi Tenzan - NJPW G-1 Climax '97 Finals New Japan goes all in on Sasaki as he wins the G-1 Climax, the IWGP Tag Team Championship (w/Kazuo Yamazaki) and the IWGP Championship all in the same month. Sasaki's transformation into Riki Choshu clone is complete here with no pads, mullet and the black trunks with black boots. A lot of people seem sour that Sasaki was Choshu's boy. It was pretty obvious as they are pretty similar wrestlers and builds. I like Sasaki and am happy he got the opportunity. This is a great power match sprint that never lets up from jump. Tenzan comes in to the match banged up and already bleeding from the mouth and ear. I need to watch that Hashimoto match. He hears the bell ring and charges straight at Sasaki. If Tenzan just used heabutts all the time instead of that goofy double Mongolian chop I would like him so much better. Tenzan actually hits a diving headbutt for two early. Sasaki just starts wailing on his head with closed fists. I was surprised the ref was not on his case more immediately. Lots of good drama over the Scorpion Deathlock and then Sasak puts the STF on Tenzan. Good dick move as all of NWO Japan (Chono, Muta, Saito, Norton and Buff Bagwell) are out here and the STF is Chono's move. Sasaki wants to finish it with a Northern Lights Bomb, but Tenzan reverses into the Tenzan driver. Two more diving headbutts. This is insane. Wicked hot. They are headbutting each other from the knees. Tenzan is bleeding from unusual places. It is chaos. Northern Lights Bomb. 1-count Kickout. I know we all hate them now, but this was pretty novel in 1997 and I got jacked from that. Tenzan does the defiant fighting spirit with blood and drool coming from his mouth. Lariat and Sasaki with the Mutombo finger wag (tell me he doesn't have charisma) and puts Tenzan away with the Northern Lights Bomb. Never lets up, just a power sprint, two bulls going straight at each other and wailing on one another and they top it off with a compact, but dramatic finish run. Great G-1 Climax finals! ****
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