The A Block finals take shape in a big night of G1 action!

With only five nights left, Night 15 was a vitally important night for A Block as the final fighters for the G1 A Block semi-finalist would be determined.

Image credit: NJPW.

The tournament battles opened with Doc Gallows versus Tetsuya Naito. Amazingly, Gallows played the face in the battle. While Gallows has long been eliminated from contention, a powerbomb from the top kept Naito from getting two important matches going into the end of the night.

The second match of the night saw Katsuyori Shibata sadly fall yet again, this time to Hiroyoshi Tenzan. This was probably Tenzan's best tournament match, but it eliminated Shibata from any chance at a win.


Kota Ibushi battled Toru Yano next in a battle of two eliminated fighters. The battle went incredibly quickly as Yano's turnbuckle removal almost gave Ibushi the win, but a quick reversal by Yano into a low blow gave him the quick win.

In the semi-main event, AJ Styles beat his stable mate Bad Luck Fale in what was Fale's best match of the show. Styles used the rope to get the pinfall which left Fale angry and possibly set up continued dissension in the ranks of the heel faction.

Image credit: NJPW.

Like the previous match, the main event was a battle between two stars sitting at 10 points. Togi Makabe has looked solid through out the tournament, while Tanahashi has looked more vulnerable than he has in years. Makabe controlled much of the match, but that's not unusual for a Tanahashi battle. In the end a High Fly Flow gave Tanahashi the win and moved him into the finals.

As I predicted at the start of the tournament, Night 17's AJ Styles versus Hiroshi Tanahashi match will determine the final winner of the A Block as the only stars at 12 points will meet to fight for the final two points. This is a make or break moment for Tanahashi and Styles.

Action is back tomorrow morning with Night 16 though. Kazuchika Okada will seek to retain his dominance over the field against Yuji Nagata while Goto, Anderson and Nakamura will all seek to catch up with him for a trip to the finals.

We will be back with coverage of that action tomorrow as the G1 rolls on!