NJPW G1 Special Results: Omega vs. Elgin, Okada vs. Cody, more…

NJPW G1 Los Angeles Special Night 1
July 1st 2017
Long Beach Convention Center
(AXS TV, Fight Network)

• Beretta, Rocky Romero, Will Ospreay & the Briscoes (CHAOS) vs. the Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale (Bullet Club)

• • Matt Jackson directly into the camera: “They put us in the opening match, are you kidding me?”
  • High paced fun match.
  • Scurll got in a period of offence, using his normal moves: finger breaking spot, super kick to the shin, then got countered when he elaborately announced he was going for the chicken wing.
  • Ospreay hit a standing spanish fly on Scurll. Also a springboard shooting star press onto everyone.
  • Romero got a period of offence in as well, hitting “clotheslines forever” on the Young Bucks.
  • The Bucks looked to be going for the Meltzer Driver onto Romero, but Nick was pulled to the ground from the outside while Romero rolled up Jackson for the pin.
  • Romero seemed surprised he got the pin.
  • Matt Jackson to the camera “I’ve got a deal with Hot Topic, I can’t lose on TV!”

Winners: Roppongi Vice, the Briscoes and Will Ospreay (Romero pinned Matt Jackson)

• Titan, Dragon Lee, Volador Jr. & Jushin Liger vs. Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI, EVIL & SANADA (Los Ingobernables)

• • Liger got a big ovation before the match began.
  • Seemed like Los Ingobernables had the bulk of the offence.
  • Takahashi distracted the ref, which allowed Evil to hit Titan with a chair.
  • Takahashi then hit Titan with the Time Bomb for the pin.

Winners: Los Ingobernables (Takahashi pinned Titan)

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Jay Lethal vs. Hangman Page (Bullet Club)

  • The IWGP United States Championship Belt was brought out by the CHairman of NJPW.
  • Before the match, Ross mentioned that Lethal suffered bruised ribs in a match with the Beer City Bruiser in ROH 8 days ago.
  • Page attacked Lethal before the bell to gain the early advantage.
  • The story of this match was Lethal battling through his injured ribs.
  • Lethal went for the Lethal Injection but Page countered it into an abdominal stretch.
  • He then went for the Lethal Injection a 2nd time, but Page countered again.
  • Lethal finally hit the Lethal Injection on his 3rd attempt (kinda botched) but he couldn’t make the cover because his ribs were too sore.
  • They both got back up and started exchanging strikes. Lethal got the advantage with an enziguri, hit Lethal Injection again and got the pin.

Winners: Jay Lethal

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Juice Robinson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (Suzuki-Gun)

  • Sabre Jr. focussed on Juice’s arm for most of the match.
  • Robinson hit a jackhammer like slam, a standing senton, and a cannonball in the corner.
  • He then went for the Pulp Friction but Sabre Jr. countered that into an abdominal stretch.
  • Robinson went for the ropes, but Zack pinned both of his arms back in a modified stretch, causing Juice to submit.

Winner: Zack Sabre Jr. via submission

• David Finlay, Jay White, KUSHIDA, & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu, YoshiTatsu, & Billy Gunn

  • Josh and Ross talked about Tanahashi having an injured arm, and he has to defend the IC title against Billy Gunn tomorow night.
  • Kushida got a big cheer when he held up both the ROH TV title and the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight championship.
  • A good portion of this match previewed the Billy Gunn vs. Tanahashi match tomorrow.
  • Gunn’s team isolated Kushida, though he eventually made the hot tag to Tanahashi, who cleared house.
  • With everyone on the outside, Jay White hit a flatliner on Yoshi Tatsu for the win.
  • Tanahashi and Gunn had a brief staredown afterwards.

Winners: Finlay, White, Kushida & Hiroshi Tanahashi (White pinned Tatsu)

Intermission

• IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
  Guerillas of Destiny ©(Bullet Club) vs. War Machine

• • Before the match, Rowe cut a promo saying that their opponents introduced weapons into the last match, so let’s have them legal in this match.
  • Tama Tonga was about to answer but then both brohters attacked War Machine to start the match. Weapons are legal.
  • GoD used a trash can early, which gave them the advantage for a bit.
  • Hanson started a comeback for War Machine by giving both members of GoD his own version of Clotheslines Forever.
  • A lot of good double team moves from each team.
  • Chase Owens interfered on behalf of his Bullet Club teammates, hitting members of War Machine with chairs.
  • War Machine battled back and hit Fallout through a table on Tanga Roa and got the pin to win the belts.

Winners: War Machine (New Champions)

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Tomohiro Ishii (CHAOS) vs. Tetsuya Naito (Los Ingobernables)

  • Naito attacked Ishii before the bell to start the match.
  • Each guy landed a lot of their moves.
  • Naito hit a frankensteiner, 2 flying dropkicks, german suplex, dragon suplex, but couldn’t hit Destino on 2 attempts.
  • Ishii hit mainly power moves, several lariats, chops, head butt, power-bomb, and countered Destino twice.
  • Ishii hit a brainbuster and got the pin.

Winner: Tomohiro Ishii

• IWGP US Heavyweight Title Tournament (Quarter-Final)
  Michael Elgin vs. Kenny Omega (Bullet Club)

  • Commentary mentioned that Elgin has never lost to Omega in a 1-on-1 match.
  • Elgin got most of the offence early, with a gorilla press slam and springboard splash.
  • Omega hit a hurricanrana which sent Elgin to the outside. He hit a plancha, and a fameasser on the ramp.
  • Omega gave Elgin a body slam on the outside at an 18 count and then got back in the ring. Elgin got back in just before the 20 count.
  • Elgin got back on offence, hitting moves such as a series of rolling german suplexes, which Ross referred to as the “3 Canucks”.
  • Elgin hit a turnbuckle powerbomb, Omega hit a dragon suplex, and each hit various other moves as well.
  • The finish of the match started when Omega hit Elgin with a running knee. Elgin initially shook off the first knee and charged back at Omega who gave him a 2nd knee, and that one wobbled him.
  • Omega hit some more knees and then a reverse-hurricanrana for a near-fall.
  • He hit yet another knee on Elgin and eventually got him up for the 1-Winged Angel and pinned him.

Winner: Kenny Omega

Updated IWGP US Championship Tournament Brackets:

• Kenny Omega vs. Jay Lethal
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii

• IWGP Heavyweight Title Match
  Kazuchika Okada (c)(CHAOS) vs. Cody (Bullet Club)

  • The crowd really did not like Cody Rhodes (although some fans would later chant for him), this despite his all-American apparel he had on. Brandi was wearing a USA flag dress.
  • The match started with some grappling and then each trying to hit a few signature moves but getting blocked or avoided.
  • Okada went on offence first, landing a running dropkick to a seated Cody.
  • Cody escaped to the outside, where Okada eventually hit him with a running crossbody that took them both about 3 rows deep in the crowd.
  • Cody got on offence by catching Okada as he was getting back into the ring. He hit a flatliner, facebuster, and a springboard dropkick.
  • Cody got some heat by spitting at the referee and flipping off the fans.
  • It was mentioned that Cody has an injured shoulder.
  • Okada hit a neckbreaker and goes back on offence. He hits a series of running elbows to knock Cody down.
  • Okada continued on offence with a ddt and a running uppercut for a near-fall.
  • Cody was perched on the top turnbuckle, when Okada hit a dropkick to take him to the outside.
  • Cody countered a tombstone attempt on the outside into a back body drop.
  • Okada countered Cody’s draping ddt into his own draping ddt, and eventually thew him back into the ring.
  • Okada was going to the top rope but Cody countered by hitting a an arm drag off the top.
  • Cody then hit a Disaster Kick for a near-fall.
  • Okada countered a 2nd Disaster Kick with a flapjack.
  • Okada then hit a side-slam neckbreaker combo that nobody ever refers to by a name. He then hit a flying elbow and called for the Rainmaker.
  • Cody countered the Rainmaker attempt by grabbing Okada’s leg and rolling into a modified calf-slicer. Okada would eventually get to the ropes.
  • They ended up in a slap and strike contest, which was won soundly by Okada. He eventually knocked Cody all the way down and stomped on his back several times. This brought Brandi to ringside.
  • Okada hit him in the back with a dropkick, then landed a tombstone piledriver and called again for the Rainmaker.
  • Cody countered the Rainmaker attempt again, this time by spitting at Okada.
  • Okada just wiped off the spit and hit him with a partial Rainmaker, then picked him up and hit him with another Rainmaker.
  • This brought Kenny Omega to ringside with a white towel, just like Cody did for his match with Okada in Osaka.
  • The Young Bucks tried to talk some sense into Omega, as he started encouraging Brandi to throw in the towel for Cody’s sake.
  • Cody then countered another Rainmaker but was eventually hit with yet another dropkick.
  • Cody then countered yet another Rainmaker with his own Rainmaker and got a near-fall.
  • Cody grabbed the towel, wiped off his sweat from it, then made a rude gesture with it, and threw it at Kenny. This caused Ross to state that there are clearly issues within Bullet Club.
  • Okada then countered Cody’s Cross Roads attempt with his own Cross Roads for a near fall.
  • Cody went for Cross Roads again but Okada countered with knees, so Cody hit him with a slam instead for another near-fall.
  • Cody went for the 1-winged angel but was countered by Okada into a German suplex.
  • Okada then hit a jumping spinning tombstone followed by one more Rainmaker for the pin.

Winner: Kazuchika Okada (7th Title Defence this Reign)

• After the match Omega called for a mic as Okada was going to speak.
• Omega said that he would not steal Okada’s moment, but said they have a date for a rematch in the G1.
• Gedo then spoke english. He told the crowd that Okada is the future of strong-style.
• Okada then spoke english and asked everyone how New Japan Pro Wrestling was? this got a big pop and the crowd chanted “New Japan! New Japan!”.
• We then saw a backstage interview with Okada that was very loosely translated by Josh Barnett. Basically Okada said he underestimated Cody and complimented the American media.