New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Yota Tsuji def. Yuya Uemura Tsuji and Uemura have become very proficient at expressing the power versus technique dynamic. Watching Tsuji definitively overpower Uemura in a test of strength, forcing him into a bridge, but Uemura laying down to slip out of it and make it back onto his feet impressed me. It’s a level of making something simplistic yet satisfying and interesting that young lions usually become very good at before they graduate, thanks to their intentionally limited moveset. After Uemura nearly made it to the ropes to break the Boston crab, Tsuji busted out a giant swing, and reapplied the Boston crab for the victory. Also, it looks like he’s growing his beard back out too, which is nice.
A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Yujiro Takahashi (7:53) Yujiro showed an uncharacteristic energy, as if he had something to prove to the self-proclaimed King of Pro-Wrestling. The fact that Yujiro was putting up more of a fight than expected enraged Suzuki, and he mercilessly beat Yujiro with a chair, then demanded the audience to applaud for him. Suzuki cranked on Yujiro’s neck with a guillotine choke, but Yujiro was able to lift Suzuki into a Fisherman Buster. Yujiro fired up and yelled like a young lion trying to escape certain defeat as Suzuki pelted him with slaps and elbow strikes. Nevertheless, Suzuki hit the Gotch-style piledriver and it was all over. Suzuki 6 points, Yujiro 0 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Jeff Cobb (10:43) Jeff Cobb’s size and strength was sufficient to intimidate even Ibushi, who was hesitant to engage Cobb in close quarters at first. He tried to stay out of Cobb’s range, hitting sharp leg kicks. This was not enough to deter Cobb, whose surreal agility was on display as he landed a dropkick that Okada would be proud of. As Cobb delivered his arsenal of slams and suplexes, Ibushi needed a reprieve, and hung onto the ropes to catch his breath, but Cobb overpowered his grip and lifted him into the Athletic-Plex. Cobb tried for the Tour of the Islands, but Ibushi slipped out of it and hit a loud jumping knee strike, followed by the Kamigoye for the victory. Ibushi 6 points, Cobb 2 points
A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Taichi (17:03) El Desperado was a guest commentator for this match, and pulled out a chair when the match began. The referee left the ring to take the chair away from him, but this was merely a distraction, for Taichi had also gotten a chair and was pummeling Okada’s wrapped back with it. Taichi then rained down fast kicks on Okada, but Okada finally retaliated with elbows and uppercuts. He rose to the top rope, looking for a missile dropkick, but Taichi moved out of the way and Okada landed loudly on the mat. Like a shark smelling blood, Taichi hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and applied a half Boston crab while driving his knee into Okada’s back. As Taichi went for a thrust kick, Okada countered it with a dropkick, but Taichi quickly hit a backdrop driver that gave Okada a dazed facial expression. Desperate, Okada used a turning Tombstone piledriver, followed by a short-range lariat. Okada attempted a discus lariat, but Taichi dodged it and his wrist-clutch Axe Bomber achieved another near fall. Okada applied the Money Clip again and Taichi was visibly losing consciousness, so the referee called for the bell. Okada 4 points, Taichi 6 points
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Jay White (18:46) Early on, Jay White was laying into Ospreay with backhand chops, but a single chop from Ospreay put White flat on his back, which was likely a wake-up call for Jay. He did his best to keep Ospreay on the mat, using holds like a half Boston crab to wear him down and stop him from taking advantage of his otherworldly speed. Unfortunately, Ospreay was able to get to his feet, but White intelligently bailed out of the ring and to the corner, avoiding Ospreay’s imminent Sasuke Special. Ospreay was visibly slowed by White’s earlier leg attacks. He could see Ospreay’s springboard forearm coming, and smootly reversed it into the Complete Shot. Ospreay was able to finally catch Jay off guard with a springboard shooting star press, but Jay hung onto his leg when he tried for the Oscutter. Ospreay tried for it again, but it was avoided, and he found himself on the receiving end of a Kiwi Crusher. Jay tried for the Blade Runner, but Ospreay reversed it into a sitout powerbomb, and finally managed to hit the Oscutter. Gedo tried to come in and help Jay, pulling the referee away and trying to hit Ospreay with a pair of brass knuckles, but Ospreay stopped him and dispatched Gedo with a rolling elbow. Jay went for a sleeper suplex while his opponent was occupied, but Ospreay backflipped out of it. He followed up with a rolling elbow, the Hidden Blade, and the Stormbreaker for the victory. Ospreay 6 points, Jay 6 points
A Block: Tomohiro Ishii def. Shingo Takagi (26:01) When two wrestlers like Ishii and Shingo meet in the ring, you know what’s coming. You could probably count the number of moves that were not strikes in this match on two hands. Nevertheless, it always stays compelling, because of the way that they differ. Shingo wrestles Ishii the way he would wrestle an older, more weathered version of himself, peppering his strikes with a certain level of disdain and pity. How could he become weaker than he used to be? But when Ishii, with his flabby midsection and graying stubble starts fighting back, or kicking out, it’s all the more satisfying for it. Ishii kicked out of Shingo’s Made in Japan and Pumping Bomber, and put Shingo on his back with a running lariat of his own. He tried for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Shingo stuffed it and landed a pop-up death valley driver. He kicked out of Ishii’s lariat at a count of one before rising to his feet and collapsing on top of his opponent. Ishii landed a sliding lariat for a near fall and tried again for the brainbuster, but Shingo got out of it and delivered a sliding elbow that made Ishii crumple to the mat, followed by Pumping Bomber that Ishii kicked out of just a split second before 3. Shingo readied the Last of the Dragon, but Ishii dropped down out of it into a DDT! Finally, he hit an enzuigiri followed by the vertical drop brainbuster for the victory! Ishii 2 points, Shingo 2 points
G1 Climax Updated Standings
A Block: 6 points – Taichi, Jay White, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay 4 points – Kazuchika Okada 2 points – Jeff Cobb, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii 0 points – Yujiro Takahashi
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Gabriel Kidd def. Yota Tsuji (7:40) The match began with Gabriel Kidd taking the advantage over Yota Tsuji while mat wrestling, as the commentators speculated that Kidd’s training in Lancashire wrestling would grant him the edge when working on the ground. Yota Tsuji, whose new blown out hair style is reminiscent of Andre the Giant, gained control with his superior power landing a body slam into a running splash. He applied a single-leg Boston crab, but Kidd achieved a rope break. Kidd landed a dropkick and won the match with a double underhook suplex.
A Block: Taichi def. Yujiro Takahashi (11:03) Unfortunately, Yujiro and Taichi’s valets, Pieter and Miho Abe, were absent for this match. As one would expect from a match between two of the dirtiest fighters in NJPW, this match was full of rule-bending. The first move of the match was Yujiro hitting Taichi with his cane, but Taichi would respond with choking Yujiro with a microphone cable and slamming his head into the ring post. Taichi seemed to have the advantage in physical prowess, and he wore Yujiro down with kicks. He yelled at Yujiro, mentioning Tetsuya Naito, likely alluding to how far above Yujiro Naito is now, when years ago they were a tag team. He then hit the Axe Bomber for a near fall. He stood in the corner waiting for Yujiro to rise to his feet, but as he went for the thrust kick, Yujiro caught him and hit the Miami Shine, for another two count. He went to follow up with the Pimp Juice DDT, but Taichi pushed him away, then hit a sneaky low blow and pinned him with the Taichi-style Gedo clutch. Taichi 6 points, Yujiro 0 points.
A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Jeff Cobb (9:24) Suzuki started by laying on his back and challenging Cobb to grapple with him, a tall order considering Cobb’s Olympic-level ability at freestyle wrestling. And yet, despite Cobb’s physical advantages, Suzuki seemed to be getting the better of him on the mat. Cobb moved to his feet, and from there he used his great strength to throw Suzuki with suplexes. Suzuki made it behind Cobb and applied the sleeper hold, but Cobb threw him off easily when he attempted the Gotch-style piledriver. Cobb continued his series of suplexes and slams, but when he went for the Tour of the Islands, Suzuki caught him in a guillotine choke and forced himself free. He then applied the sleeper hold again and lifted the bulky Cobb up for the Gotch-style piledriver. Suzuki 4 points, Cobb 2 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Tomohiro Ishii (15:41) Ibushi and Ishii went at each other with a great intensity from the getgo, throwing strikes and with Ishii blocking Ibushi’s loud kicks. Ishii backed Ibushi into the corner and egged him on, tanking Ibushi’s elbow strikes. He knocked Ibushi to the ground and landed kicks of his own, but Ibushi rose up and engaged Ishii in a strike battle: his kicks versus Ishii’s backhand chops. Ishii finally started showing pain, taking a knee, but he Isfired up and they traded German suplexes, but a dropkick from Ibushi put them both on their backs. They sat up and exchanged slaps but Ibushi dropped Ishii with a final slap to the chest. Ishii fired back up, but Ibushi just stared blankly at him and then kicked him in the head, then hit an elevated powerbomb for a near fall. Ibushi tried for a Frankensteiner, but Ishii countered it, then Ishii went for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Ibushi countered that too. In a desperation move, Ibushi went for the Kamigoye, but with a headbutt, Ishii had averted it. However, Ibushi hit the Boma Ye for a near fall, followed by another Boma Ye and the Kamigoye for the victory, in a match that was exhausting to watch and keep up with. Ibushi 4 points, Ishii 0 points
A Block: Shingo Takagi def. Will Ospreay (22:03) These two men have only fought in one singles match before, and it was in the final of last year’s Best of the Super Juniors. Ospreay won that match and since then he has grown in mass, but so has his ego. He spoke recently about wanting to beat Shingo in Kobe City, where this event is taking place, because it’s where Dragon Gate, Shingo’s home promotion, is based. These two fought with great intensity, and Ospreay continues to demonstrate that his increased bulk has not come at the cost of his agility, getting the better of Shingo in the early going. Shingo tried to neutralize Ospreay’s speed by applying a Figure Four Leglock, but Ospreay stopped it before it was cinched in, and when Shingo tried for the Noshigami, Ospreay reversed it into a stunner. Ospreay lifted Shingo for the stormbreaker, but instead hung Shingo upside down over the turnbuckle and hit a corner-to-corner dropkick. Ospreay went for the Oscutter, but Shingo countered it into the Noshigami, then hit the Sol del Japon for a near fall. Shingo went to follow up with the Pumping Bomber, but Ospreay moved out of the way and hit a Liger Bomb for a near fall of his own, and then the Oscutter only for Shingo to kick out again! Ospreay went for the Stormbreaker, but Shingo blocked it and lifted Ospreay into the Made in Japan. Ospreay blocked the Last of the Dragon, when Shingo went for another Pumping Bomber Ospreay reversed it into a spanish fly. Ospreay landed a heavy rolling elbow and went for the top rope Oscutter, but Shingo got to him and hit the Stay Dream from the middle rope for the near fall. He hit one last Pumping Bomber and the Last of the Dragon for the victory! Shingo 2 points, Ospreay 4 points
A Block: Jay White def. Kazuchika Okada (18:48) Like the villain he is, Jay White got on the microphone before the match began and chanted for Okada, encouraging the audience to do so as well, except they aren’t allowed to cheer out loud. Gedo was a continual thorn in Okada’s side throughout this match, making minor offences like pulling Okada’s leg from the outside, but running like a coward whenever Okada was perturbed enought to confront him. Jay White was dominating Okada, wearing him down with punches to the lower back, but when Okada went after Gedo again, Jay chased after him. It ended up with Okada planting both Gedo and Jay with a double DDT on the entrance ramp. Okada then put Gedo’s bucket hat on, which made the audience laugh. In the ring, Okada tried for the reverse neckbreaker, but his back was in too much pain, and he crumpled to his knees when he tried to lift Jay onto his back. Okada irish whipped Jay into the ropes and followed up with the dropkick, but Jay hung onto the ropes and Okada just landed on his back. Gedo yelled for Jay to do the Rainmaker, but Okada countered Jay’s Rainmaker into the tombstone Piledriver, then applied Money Clip. Jay was able to reach the bottom rope to break the hold, however. Okada hit a rolling lariat and applied the Money Clip again, but Gedo distracted the referee and Jay broke the hold with a low blow. Jay went for the Blade Runner, but Okada blocked it applied the Money Clip again from a standing position. Still in the hold, Jay hit the SSS suplex and the Blade Runner for the victory, which made the crowd react in shock. Jay 6 points, Okada 2 points
Jay White got on the microphone and thanked Okada for wrestling him when two years ago, almost on the same day of the year, Gedo turned on Okada and teamed up with Jay. He said that he is the present and the future, and that Okada is history.
Standings
A Block: 6 points – Taichi, Jay White 4 points – Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi 2 points – Kazuchika Okada, Jeff Cobb, Shingo Takagi 0 points – Tomohiro Ishii, Yujiro Takahashi
A Block: Taichi def. Minoru Suzuki (12:11, Pinfall, Black Mephisto)
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Tomohiro Ishii (18:20, Pinfall, Stormbreaker)
A Block: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi (20:28, Pinfall, Blade Runner)
Standings
A Block 4 points – Will Ospreay, Taichi, Jay White 2 points – Jeff Cobb, Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, Kota Ibushi 0 points – Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Yujiro Takahashi
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Start Times (September 19, 2020): 1AM Pacific, 4AM Eastern, 9AM UK, 5PM Japan, 6PM East Australia
G1 Climax 30 Day 1 Results
Yuya Uemura def. Yota Tsuji (6:57) Yota Tsuji has shaved his goatee off since his last match, and I’m personally not a fan of the clean-shaven look. These two are going to be wrestling a lot over the course of the tournament. Every date, except perhaps the last, will start with a singles match involving a combination of Uemura, Tsuji, and Gabriel Kidd, so it will be enlightening to see if anyone gets an edge against each other. These two in the ring has demonstrated the dynamic between them after their years as young lions: Tsuji being the harder hitter while Uemura has more finesse and is more easy to root for. Uemura hit a beautiful dropkick and submitted Tsuji with a high-angle Boston crab for the victory.
A Block: Will Ospreay def. Yujiro Takahashi (7:34) Will Ospreay is back in Japan, and he got a great reception from the crowd. He has gained significant muscle mass over the last half year, and his billed weight has increased to 105 kilograms. Nevertheless, he seems not to have been slowed down too much by the weight gain, still flying through the air with ease. Yujiro tried to slow him down whenever possible, but Ospreay had too much energy and power for him. Ospreay hit the Stormbreaker for the not that hard-fought pinfall victory. Afterwards, he got on the microphone and talked about how he has nothing to fear because he is Will Ospreay. Not just his body, his head has clearly gotten bigger as well. Ospreay 2 points, Yujiro 0 points
A Block: Taichi def. Jeff Cobb (12:47) Jeff Cobb seems to have acquired the goatee that Yota Tsuji removed, and it looks good on him. Rumor has it that he is now a contracted NJPW full-time wrestler, so he has a lot to prove. Unfortunately, Miho Abe will be absent for all of Taichi’s matches in the G1. Taichi did not want to fight Cobb head-on, and Cobb had to chase him around the ring until Taichi hit him with the bell hammer, which he had stealthily stolen. Now in control, Taichi tried to immobilize Cobb through attacking his legs, but Cobb would rise to his feet and dominate Taichi with his powerful throws. Taichi retaliated with beautiful leg kicks and slowed Cobb’s pace to a crawl, flooring him with a jumping high kick. Cobb tried to pick Taichi up for the Tour of the Islands, but Taichi slipped out of it and delivered a backdrop driver as the crowd swelled with applause. He finally was able to lift Jeff Cobb for the Black Mephisto and make it on the G1 board. Taichi 2 points, Cobb 0 points
A Block: Minoru Suzuki def. Tomohiro Ishii (13:00) Neither Ishii nor Suzuki brought the belts they possess to the ring, which is irrationally upsetting to me. Nevertheless, these two men started as we knew they would, at each other’s throats and just slapping, punching, and mouthing off to each other without a care in the world. They both made early attempts at their match-ending moves, but these were in vain. The really loud elbow strikes they threw resounded especially in the building where the crowds can only clap, not cheer loudly. Suzuki took the edge in the battle of strikes, and Ishii crumpled to the ground, but not for long. He rose up and continued taking the fight to Suzuki. They traded headbutts before Ishii lifted Suzuki and hit a reverse piledriver! In a last-ditch effort, Suzuki hit a fast Gotch-style piledriver for the win! Suzuki 2 points, Ishii 0 points
A Block: Jay White def. Shingo Takagi (19:28) Since we’re talking about facial hair so far on this show, Jay White still has the disgusting-looking goatee, and it suits him. As the match began, Jay White continued to stall for time, but when he finally did get in the ring to fight, Gedo helped him intermittently, such as by holding Shingo’s leg to give Jay an opening. Shingo tried for the Noshigami, but Jay blocked it and dropped Shingo on his back with repeated suplexes. Shingo tried to run to the ropes for a lariat, but Jay hit the Complete Shot to slow his roll once again, which was the theme of this whole match: Jay continuing to cut Shingo off whenever he mounted a comeback. Jay attempted the Blade Runner, but Shingo reversed it and hit the Made in Japan for a near fall. Shingo lifted Jay for the Last of the Dragon, but Jay grabbed the referee so Shingo would lose his balance. Fed up, Shingo hit the Pumping Bomber and the Last of the Dragon again, but while Jay was on Shingo’s shoulders, he kicked the referee so there was no one to count the pinfall. With the referee down, Jay hit a low blow followed by the Blade Runner when the refeee made it back in the ring. Jay 2 points, Shingo 0 points
A Block: Kota Ibushi def. Kazuchika Okada (21:35) Ibushi and Okada were tentative to confront each other, despite the fact that if they were to last as long against each other as they did in their Wrestle Kingdom match this year, this bout would end in a time limit draw. Okada’s victory eight months ago seemed to make him not take Ibushi too seriously, as even when he gained an advantage, he would clap and stomp to rile up the crowd instead of putting the pressure on Ibushi. Okada applied the Money Clip, which is the name for the cobra clutch that he’s been using ever NJPW resumed, but Ibushi got his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold. Okada pulled Ibushi outside the ring and tried to hit the tombstone piledriver on the floor, but Ibushi got out of it, and then hit an asai moonsault to Okada on the outside. Okada and Ibushi fought over another piledriver in the ring, but Okada was finally able to hit the tombstone. Okada let Ibushi get to his knees and challenged him to hit him, but Ibushi got to his feet and kicked the kneeling Okada in the head. Ibushi tried to follow up, but Okada caught him and hit a spinning tombstone piledriver, than applied the Money Clip again, but Ibushi was able to get Okada off him. Okada grabbed Ibushi’s hands like he was going for the Kamigoye himself, but Ibushi lifted him into a sitout powerbomb, and then hit the Kamigoye for the three count! Ibushi 2 points, Okada 0 points
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM Bully Ray recently discussed the NJPW faction Bullet Club. This past weekend saw New Japan hold their Dominion event, which was headlined by Tetsuya Naito putting his IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championships on the line against his Los Ingobernables’ partner EVIL.
EVIL would win the bout following interference from Bullet Club, after which he joined the infamous group. Bully Ray would talk about EVIL joining the group on Busted Open, where co-host Dave LaGreca claimed that EVIL joining ‘breathed new life’ into Bullet Club.
Bully Ray on EVIL
“So I just want to talk about what you said about EVIL joining Bullet Club; breathing life into the Bullet Club” Bully Ray began on the show. “I kind of see where you’re coming from, but I don’t think the Bullet Club has been anywhere near what it was in the past.”
Bully Ray elaborated further, saying “I’m not even talking about when Cody and the Bucks where there [in New Japan]. Just that original inception of the Bullet Club, the heydays of the Bullet Club. EVIL being there is cool. Jay White as the head of the Bullet Club? I’m still on the fence [about that].”
Jay White
Ray would then state that he is a fan of White’s in-ring work, but that as a personality he is lacking in terms of ‘leadership.’ “I don’t think Jay White has the personality to be the leader of a group like the Bullet Club. I’m not talking about Jay White in the ring. Jay White is frickin phenomenal in the ring yada yada. But the Bullet Club is/was something special. It had that nWo-esque feel.”
Bully Ray would then reveal who he thinks should be leading the group. “To me, Tama Tonga has to take control of the Bullet Club, because he has that edginess. He has that killer instinct, that vibe. I want to see Tama be the head of the Bullet Club. Just think of him as the spokesperson for that Club? I think restores it to its original badassery. That’s just my take on the Bullet Club.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced the lineup for the first round of their annual springtime single-elimination tournament, the New Japan Cup.
NJPW has confirmed that the winner of the New Japan Cup 2020 will challenge Tetsuya Naito for his IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at Sakura Genesis on March 31st. All days of the New Japan Cup 2020 will be broadcasted live on NJPW World with an English commentary option.
Similar to last year, the field will consist of 32 NJPW wrestlers. The first round will take place over four events on March 4, 7, 8, and 9. The second round will take place over four events as well, on March 10, 12, 13, and 14. The quarter-finals will be held over three events on March 16, 17, and 18. Finally, the semi-finals will take place on March 20th, with the final match to decide the New Japan Cup winner on March 21st.
In the 2019 New Japan Cup, Kazuchika Okada took victory against SANADA in the final, and used the victory to challenge Jay White for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He would go on to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at the G1 Supercard event at Madison Square Garden during WrestleMania weekend.
Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling presents The New Beginning in Osaka 2020. This event will be held at Osaka-jo Hall in Osaka, Japan. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World. English and Japanese commentary are available.
Manabu Nakanishi, Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan def. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare & Ryusuke Taguchi This match was dubbed “Manabu Nakanishi Final in Osaka-jo Hall” and indeed, this will be the last big arena show of Nakanishi’s 27-year career. To be honest, it looked to be about time for him. His lariats were slow and his chops were lethargic, but nevertheless, the crowd popped for everything he did. Nevertheless, the crowd was with him, especially when he climbed to the top rope for perhaps the last time ever. Nakanishi delivered a top rope brain chop to Tomoaki Honma, setting up Satoshi Kojima to deliver the lariat and get the pin. (7:08)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) (c) def. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Roppongi 3K attacked Suzuki-gun before the bell to remove the possibility that they would receive that treatment themselves. After getting into a gnarly slap fight with El Desperado, YOH tagged in SHO, but both members of Suzuki-gun cut SHO off and began assaulting his knee. Kanemaru held him in a long figure four leglock but SHO was able to make the rope break. Kanemaru hit the Deep Impact on SHO, who kicked out at two. As Rocky Romero rallied the capacity crowd, SHO rallied with heavy lariats. Roppongi 3K went for their 3K finish, but El Desperado was in to break it up. SHO hit the Shock Arrow on Kanemaru for a near fall. Finally, Roppongi 3K hit the dropkick and Shock Arrow combination known as Strong X for SHO to get the pinfall on Kanemaru and make their first championship defense. (16:22)
After the match, as Roppongi 3K celebrated in the ring, Ryusuke Taguchi entered the ring, with a basketball and a rugby helmet on. He told Rocky Romero that he was not only the manager of SHO and YOH, but a great wrestler in his own right. Taguchi stated that he and Rocky, as The Mega Coaches, should challenge Roppongi 3K for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships. He threw his basketball to Rocky and made a hoop with his arms. Despite RPG 3K’s assistance otherwise, Rocky shot the ball into Taguchi’s hoop, signifying his agreement to challenge for the Championships.
Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi def. Bullet Club (Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi) This matched Kota Ibushi’s return to the ring following a short absence due to a bout of influenza. One wouldn’t have known that he was running a 104 degree fever within the last two weeks, due to some superhuman healing factor. The factor that was of greatest note in this match was the appearance of Tanahashi and Juice. Tanahashi had a very fluffy pompadour and Juice Robinson’s hair was in an afro, continuing the ’70s-dancer-esque appearance he has been going for recently. Tanahashi pinned Tanga Loa with a bridging roll-up. (10:50)
Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi reiterated their desire to challenge for the IWGP Tag Team Championships.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Will Ospreay) def. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) Following their respective losses at The New Beginning in Sapporo, Will Ospreay and Taichi wrestled with chips on their shoulders to avenge their losses. Taichi seemed unfazed by his defeat among the hometown crowd of Sapporo, and laid into Okada with his hard-hitting offense. The crowds went wild for his dangerous backdrop drivers and loud kicks, but the CHAOS team’s combined might was too much for Dangerous Tekkers. Ospreay landed the Oscutter followed by Okada’s Rainmaker for Okada to take the pin on Taichi. (11:50)
Will Ospreay held the belt around his waist before putting it down on the mat for Zack. Angrily, ZSJ yelled “Look at it, you moron! This is coming back to Japan with me!”
Jay White def. SANADA In the buildup to this match, Jay White had attempted to get under SANADA’s skin in a way that few have been able to do before, with very little success. SANADA did not seem to be intimidated, and often overpowered Jay when the competition was fair. SANADA hit the backbreaker and went for the moonsault, but Gedo tried to knock him off his perch. SANADA responded by pulling on his Gedo’s beard and using the ropes for a groin attack. Jay tried to capitalize on the opportunity with the Blade Runner, but SANADA caught him and hit the giant swing into the Skull End. SANADA broke the hold and went for the top rope moonsault, but Jay White moved out of the way. White hit the sleeper suplex and Blade Runner for the pinfall victory. (21:52)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi (c) def. Ryu Lee For the better part of a decade, Hiromu Takahashi and Ryu Lee have had a reputation of wrestling each other with an exceptional amount of reckless abandon. For the better part of the first five minutes of the match, Hiromu and Lee simply traded slaps to each other’s chests: over and over, until their pectorals were purple, and that was just the start. Ryu Lee teased the Phoenixplex that put Hiromu out of action with a broken neck for over a year, but Hiromu reversed it as the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. Lee went for the Phoenixplex once more later on, but Hiromu reversed it into a Canadian Destroyer. Hiromu hit the Time Bomb, but Lee kicked out, so Hiromu simply hit the Time Bomb again and marked the first successful defense of his title reign. (23:54)
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) def. Minoru Suzuki This match has been highly anticipated ever since Moxley and Suzuki locked eyes for the first time. It’s safe to say that they delivered on what was expected of them. This was simply a brawl from the outset, when Suzuki invited Moxley to have a chair-swinging fight. They did no acrobatics, they just hit each other, sometimes with foreign objects. Suzuki smashed Moxley’s hand with a chair and then put him in an armbar, only for Moxley to lift him up and powerbomb him through a table. Moxley was clearly chagrined by Suzuki’s remarks that Moxley lacked redeeming qualities as a wrestler. Suzuki went for the Gotch-style piledriver, but Moxley reversed it into a double-arm DDT. He didn’t get much lift on it, so Suzuki was able to kick out at two. Moxley and Suzuki traded strikes until Suzuki pushed Moxley just a bit too far, and Mox decided he had had enough. He bowled Suzuki over with a lariat and hit the Death Rider to retain the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. (17:16)
After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. ambushed Jon Moxley and took him to the ground with a rear naked choke and bodyscissors. Moxley was temporarily subdued as the British submission specialist held up the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship.
IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental Double Championship Match: Tetsuya Naito (c) def. KENTA KENTA entered with the majority of Bullet Club with him, and they pushed Red Shoes Unno down before the match even began. All the Bullet Club members save KENTA were removed from ringside. As the match began, KENTA was reluctant to begin, rolling out of the ring instead of engaging Naito. The crowd booed as KENTA took a Naito teddy bear from the crowd and stepped on it, and he relished in the boos. KENTA attempted to remove a turnbuckle pad, but Red Shoes caught him and stopped him in the process, only for KENTA to remove the opposite one as Red Shoes was retying the one he had partially removed. KENTA continued to methodically work over Naito with kicks and arm holds. Naito rallied with elbows, but KENTA was able to apply the Game Over facelock only for Naito to crawl and wriggle his way to the rope for the break. Naito was able to hit a top rope hurricanrana into the valentia. Naito went for the Destino, but KENTA pushed him into the ropes and then Jay White came in to interfere. BUSHI tried to stop Jay White to no avail, but then Hiromu Takahashi came in and successfully apprehended Jay. KENTA went for the Go 2 Sleep but Naito reversed it with a counter Destino. KENTA threw Naito into the exposed turnbuckle, causing him to bleed profusely from his face. KENTA went for the Go 2 Sleep again, but Naito blocked it with a reverse frankensteiner. Finally, the bloody Tetsuya Naito hit the valentia and Destino to retain the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships. (35:50)
The still-bleeding Naito then challenged his faction-mate Hiromu Takahashi to a singles match at the 48th Anniversary Show next month. Hiromu and Naito mutually agreed to it.
At the time of writing, White has not yet responded to Shawn Spears’ message. Given that he has been preoccupied with New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 event, however, that’s no surprise.
White’s Wrestle Kingdom Experience
White was unable to defend his IWGP Intercontinental Championship this past weekend. He competed in a losing effort against Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito during Night One of Wrestle Kingdom on Saturday.
Spears’ most recent feud in AEW has been against “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela. They recently competed against each other on an episode of the promotion’s YouTube show, AEW Dark.
Spears came up short in the match, with Janela picking up the victory following a top rope elbow drop. After the match, the two shared a couple of White Claws in the ring, only for Janela to deliver a Stunner to Spears.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling is kicking off 2020 with their biggest event of the new year, Wrestle Kingdom 14. For the first time ever, Wrestle Kingdom will be a two-day event, with shows in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th and 5th. This event will be available to watch on their live streaming service, NJPW World, as well as Fite TV. Both platforms enable a choice between English or Japanese language commentary.
Pre-show start times are the following. The main show starts one hour after the listed time. Note that the dark match will start at the listed time, but it will not be live streamed, so the live stream will begin after the first match ends.
(Dark Match) STARDOM Women’s Wrestling Exhibition Match: Mayu Iwatani & Arisa Hoshiki def. Hana Kimura & Giulia This match was not aired on NJPW World or televised, due to television airing conflicts. Mayu Iwatani pinned Hana Kimura after a dragon suplex and a moonsault.
Pre-Show Eight Man Tag Team Match: Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. Toa Henare, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks & Alex Coughlin This was the first broadcasted match of the WK14 pre-show. The young lions from both teams looked motivated to perform in front of the Wrestle Kingdom crowd, and were working stiffly, especially Yota Tsuji against Toa Henare. The match was fairly brief but worked at a fast clip and the crowd was loud for it. Toa Henare pinned Yota Tsuji with the Toa Bottom. (7:36)
Pre-Show Tag Team Match: TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) def.Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi It was interesting to see these once-main eventers now working a pre-show match, but probably preferable to having them still main event given their varying states of physical condition. Kojima went for his signature top rope elbow drop but Nakanishi threw him to the mat. Nakanishi put him in a torture rack, but Kojima got out of it and hit a lariat for the pinfall victory. (5:47)
Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match I: Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhito Takaiwa & Ryusuke Taguchi def.Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV Kero Tanaka, the NJPW ring announcer from the 1990s, was here to announce the entrants for this match. Norio Honaga, one of Liger’s rivals from that same period, was the special guest referee as well. Most of the men in the match were clearly in the twilight years of their athletic ability, but they tried their best to pull off the spots they were remembered for decades ago, such as Sano’s dive through the ropes, Otani’s facewash, and Fujinami’s dragon screws and dragon sleeper. It was a very heartfelt match, despite the age showing, or perhaps because of the age showing, as it exemplified the effort these men were putting in for Liger’s sake. Ryusuke Taguchi pinned Liger with the Dodon. Afterwards, Liger’s team hoisted him up and celebrated as his music played. Jushin Thunder Liger’s last ever match is tomorrow. (8:52)
Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi & El Desperado) def.Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) Notably, the Suzuki-gun team entered to Zack Sabre Jr.’s music, even though Minoru Suzuki is usually considered the faction leader. Zack defends his Revolution Pro British Heavyweight Championship against SANADA tomorrow, and the match was centered around those two. The other wrestlers will be participating in the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship gauntlet match tomorrow, with the exception of Minoru Suzuki, who does not have a match tomorrow. Hard-hitting exchanges between Shingo and Taichi were the arguable highlight for this match. Shingo was exceptional at playing to the Dome audience, despite it being only his second time wrestling for an audience of this size. Zack Sabre Jr. locked a Jim Breaks Armbar on BUSHI to get the submission victory.
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) def. Bullet Club (KENTA, Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi) KENTA is defending the NEVER Openweight Championship against Hirooki Goto, while the rest of the participants are participating in the NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championship gauntlet match. Highlights of this match were Toru Yano trying to outpower Bad Luck Fale, whose “Ready for War” t-shirt may be unsavory considering current events, and Goto easily overpowering KENTA, but using Bullet Club’s help to even the odds, and Ishii suplexing Fale. Goto hit the Ushigoroshi and GTR to pin Yujiro for the win, but will he win tomorrow?
IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay) def.Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) (c) Juice and Finlay bravely stood outside the ring and tried to attack the Guerrillas of Destiny before the match began, but it backfired on them, leaving Juice laying after taking a painful-looking back body drop on the ramp. From there, G.o.D. dominated the early going, befitting of the fifth most dominant IWGP Tag Team Champions of all time, but they may have played with their food a bit too much. They hit the Magic Killer on Finlay but he kicked out of it, only to hit another for Juice to break up the pin, and receive a Magic Killer of his own for his trouble. G.o.D set up the top rope power bomb, but Finlay reversed it. Juice hit a punch to knock out Jado on the ring apron, enabling David Finlay to hit the Acid Drop on Tama Tonga. Juice Robinson and David Finlay are the new IWGP Tag Team Champions! G.o.D.’s reign ended at 312 days and 7 successful defenses.
IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Texas Deathmatch: Jon Moxley def.Lance Archer (c) Jon Moxley came out wearing jeans, as is customary for a match with a hardcore stipulation, whereas Archer was wearing a leather jumpsuit and brandishing spray-painted trash can lids. Lots of weapons were used in this match, including a gnarly shot to Archer’s head with said trash can lid, and a suplex through chairs. Archer dived over the top rope and chokeslammed a young lion onto Moxley. A reverse crucifix powerbomb onto four chairs put Moxley down for a count of 8, but Moxley managed to trap Archer with an armbar. Archer put the EBD Claw on Moxley with a plastic bag on his hand, but Moxley was not defeated yet. Lance Archer set up two tables outside the ring, but he paid for it, as Moxley hit a Death Rider from the apron, putting them both through the two tables. Moxley was able to recover before the count of ten, but Archer could not. Jon Moxley wins back the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship that he never lost in a match to begin with. After the match, he said that he would settle the score with Juice Robinson. (14:26)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiromu Takahashi def.Will Ospreay (c) Both men in this match put a lot of effort into their entrance outfits, with Ospreay having a white tiger’s head on his shoulder and Hiromu resembling a peacock more than a wrestler. As the match began, it looked like Ospreay was a step ahead of Hiromu at every turn, blocking his moves and stuffing his attempt at the apron sunset flip powerbomb. Ospreay made an effort to focus his offense on Hiromu’s head and neck, with this being his first major match since breaking his neck in July 2018. Arguably the highlight of this match was Ospreay going for the Sasuke Special and missing it, only to have Hiromu throw him through the ropes, after which he finally hit the move in one fluid motion. Ospreay hit the Oscutter for a near fall, and went for the hidden blade once again but missed, then being felled by a pop-up powerbomb. Hiromu hit another Canadian destroyer, but Ospreay blocked the Time Bomb. Ospreay finally hit the hidden blade, but Hiromu blocked the Stormbreaker to hit another Canadian destroyer, followed by the Time Bomb, but Ospreay kicked out of it. Hiromu hit a sliding forearm followed by a move that I can’t describe to finally get the victory. Hiromu Takahashi becomes the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match:Tetsuya Naito def.Jay White (c) As Jay White bailed from the ring to start the match, Naito left as well to grab Gedo by his beard, which the audience enjoyed. Nevertheless, Gedo was there to hold onto Naito for brief moments, enabling White to take advantage. White was incredibly smug in this match, showboating and gloating to the crowd when he wasn’t working over Naito’s knees or his neck. Naito was able to outsmart Jay at times to take control back, and the crowd was almost entirely with him. Naito was able to reverse White’s offense at times, but his damaged knee slowed him down at times, which White capitalized on. White locked in the same leglock that submitted Tanahashi to win him the IWGP Heavyweight Championship last February, but Naito made it to the ropes, garnering a thunderous ovation. Naito managed a rolling kick into a pop-up spinebuster to make a labored but effective comeback. Naito spat in his face and then hit a top rope Frankensteiner, followed by the Gloria for a near fall. Gedo tried to hit Naito with a chair, but Naito stopped him with a kick to the groin, but left an opening for White to hit him with a chair. White followed up with sleeper suplexes, but Naito hit a flash Destino that he was too tired to capitalize on, followed by a reverse rana and another running Destino. White went for the Blade Runner, but Naito blocked it and hit a final Destino for the pinfall victory. Tetsuya Naito wins the IWGP Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time, an accolade only matched by Shinsuke Nakamura. (33:54)
IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Kota Ibushi Kota Ibushi’s entrance music was slightly remixed, but Okada’s entrance was so over-the-top it has to be seen to be understood, but it included a white, glow-in-the-dark robe. Underestimating Ibushi, Okada attempted his first Rainmaker mere minutes into the match, but Ibushi dodged it easily. Ibushi never really seemed to intimidate Okada, who invited him to hit Okada harder. Okada locked in the Red Ink submission but Ibushi got his hand on the bottom rope to break the hold. Okada signaled the Rainmaker coming with his trademark pose, but Ibushi flattened him with a dudebuster and a double footstomp on his chest, followed by a triangle moonsault outside the ring and a missile dropkick off the ropes. Okada landed uppercuts and slaps on Ibushi, but Ibushi stood still and retaliated, even standing up after a front dropkick. Ibushi laid into a fallen Okada with strikes as the crowd began to boo him. Ibushi tried to throw Okada into the ring post from the apron, but Okada countered and hit an apron tombstone piledriver. Ibushi laid outside the ring until nearly getting counted out, only for Okada to pounce on him as he finally entered the ring. Ibushi countered with an incredible lariat and blocked Okada’s Rainmaker with another huge lariat of his own. Ibushi hit the Kamigoye but Okada barely kicked out of it, and gave him a dropkick when Ibushi attempted another. Okada attempted a missle dropkick, but Ibushi countered it into a sitout powerbomb. Ibushi went for a phoenix splash, but missed, leaving Okada the opening to hit the Rainmaker, which Ibushi kicked out of. Okada kept the pressure on and hit another piledriver followed by the Rainmaker for the win. Kazuchika Okada retains the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. (39:16)
After the match, Tetsuya Naito entered the ring to confront Okada. They posed with their respective championships, and Naito left peacefully, as Okada cut a go-home promo to end Day 1 of Wrestle Kingdom 14.
Bullet Club leader Jay White is scheduled to face off against Los Ingobernables de Japon leader Tetsuya Naito this Saturday during Night One of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 14 event. The two will clash over White’s IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The winner of Jay White vs. Naito will challenge the winner of the IWGP Heavyweight Championship bout between Kazuchika Okada and Kota Ibushi in a Double Gold Dash match. The final victor claims both belts.
Talking with njpw1972.com, White addressed his opponent and why he wants to become a double champion in NJPW. He also discussed how he feels he has been mistreated as a champion by the promotion.
Jay White vs Tetsuya Naito
With their match only days away, Naito has become more and more vocal about his intentions for Wrestle Kingdom 14.
White confessed he was “a little surprised when he showed a little bit of life. Myself, and the fans have come to expect somebody that’s a little bit too tranquilo. At the end of the day though, he can put all the life into this that he wants, but it’s about Wrestle Kingdom January 4. Against anybody else, maybe he can toy with their minds, but I’m on another level, especially mentally, and especially compared to Naito. Maybe he’s made things a bit more exciting, but it’ s not going to make a difference.”
Mental Edge
White then addressed how, despite being IWGP Intercontinental Champion, Jay White has not been featured in the promotional material for Wrestle Kingdom. To him, NJPW is mistreating him as they attempt to take “the mental edge away.”
“You can see, by this piece of gold right here that I’m the champion. Wouldn’t you think that as the champion, if there’s a championship match that my face would be on the graphic instead of the challenger alone? In fact, not alone! My belt was in the picture! On the mat! With Naito holding his eye open, looking at it! All that was there was my name. That’s NJPW, taking a mental edge on me, and taking the mental edge away from me. They can’t stand the thought of me being the first ever double IWGP Intercontinental and Heavyweight Champion, so they’re giving him the edge.”
Double Gold Dash
The Bullet Club leader then confessed his driving motivation in becoming a double champion. If victorious, he believes that NJPW won’t be able to “deny” him anymore. White blamed the fans for Naito being given this opportunity despite, in his opinion, not being deserving of it.
“So why do I want to be double champion? It’s so the fans, the office, the other wrestlers, nobody will be able to deny that I am what I say I am. The best wrestler in the world.”
Wrestle Kingdom 14 takes place this weekend on 1/4 and 1/5 from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.
Following the events of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Power Struggle 2019 event on November 3, NJPW has announced updated cards for Wrestle Kingdom 14, their two day event at the Tokyo Dome on January 4 and 5, 2020.
NJPW conducted a 24-hour online fan vote on November 4 asking whether the fans would want to see a double championship match, with the winner becoming both IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championship. The final result was 15,952 people voting “Yes” and 9,055 people voting “No.”
With that in mind, the second day of Wrestle Kingdom 14 will feature the first ever IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental double championship match.
NJPW has stated that, when finalized, both cards will feature between 8 and 10 matches. Both days of Wrestle Kingdom 14 will be available to watch live on NJPW World.
Wrestle Kingdom 14 (January 4)
Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match #1: Jushin Thunder Liger, Tatsumi Fujinami, The Great Sasuke & Tiger Mask IV (with El Samurai) vs. Naoki Sano, Shinjiro Otani, Tatsuhiko Takaiwa & Ryusuke Taguchi (with Kuniaki Kobayashi) (Special Referee: Norio Honaga)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kota Ibushi
Wrestle Kingdom 14 (January 5)
Jushin Thunder Liger Retirement Match #2: Match TBA
Singles Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho
Singles Match: Loser of IWGP Heavyweight Championship match vs. Loser of IWGP Intercontinental Championship match from the previous day
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo) (c) vs. Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH)
IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Championship: IWGP Heavyweight Champion vs. IWGP Intercontinental Champion
Titán, Volador Jr., TJP & Clark Connors def. Jushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask IV, Ryusuke Taguchi & Yuya Uemura (5:43) With the exception of Liger, this tag team match was composed of wrestlers who failed to advance to the Final in the Super Junior Tag League. Volador Jr. entered wearing a Spiderman mask and rash guard. As always, Jushin Thunder Liger was incredibly over, but work from everyone involved was brisk and fast-paced. TJP pinned Yuya Uemura after a Detonation Kick.
Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo)def. CHAOS (Robbie Eagles & Rocky Romero) (8:42) With his tag team partner involved in a defense of IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, Robbie Eagles was left with Rocky Romero as a partner. Ishimori and Phantasmo used their superior experience to keep the CHAOS team apart. At one point, El Phantasmo walked the ropes with Rocky Romero in a fireman’s carry, then came crashing down on Robbie Eagles. El Phantasmo pinned Rocky Romero with the CR II.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, SANADA & EVIL) def. Suzukigun (Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) (9:07) The Suzukigun team entered to Lance Archer’s music, who walked to the ring bow-legged, carrying his newly won IWGP US Heavyweight Championship with one half of the strap in his pants. The highlight of this match was a long battle of strikes between Shingo and Minoru Suzuki. SANADA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. with a rolling cradle, as Suzuki and Shingo continued to battle outside the ring and the frustrated Zack Sabre Jr. put the referee in an armbar. Meanwhile, Lance Archer told the English commentators that he wanted to defend his IWGP US Heavyweight Championship against David Finlay.
Kota Ibushi & Hiroshi Tanahashi def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) (10:51) All wrestlers received separate entrances except for YOSHI-HASHI. Tanahashi looked disinterested as Ibushi made his entrance, not wanting to be the second fiddle to the G1 Winner. He had really been focused on finding his own path to Wrestle Kingdom 14. Down the stretch, the fans really were hoping for YOSHI-HASHI, as was able to get near falls on Tanahashi. Nevertheless, Tanahashi reversed his Karma finisher. Tanahashi pinned YOSHI-HASHI with the High Fly Flow.
After the match ended, the lights went out, and a video of musicians with blonde hair getting beaten up played, then transitioned to Chris Jericho on the screen. He challenged Hiroshi Tanahashi to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 14 Day 2, on January 5, 2020. He said “It’s going to be a classic match. It’s also going to be your last match!”
Tetsuya Naito def. Taichi (12:56) In contrast to his lackadaisical attitude, Naito immediately attacked Taichi at full speed. Their fight spilled into the crowd, where Taichi was able to get the upper hand. As Naito went for an avalanche hurricanrana, Taichi reversed it into a falling powerbomb, and taunted the downed Naito. Their other matches this year involved lots of out of the ring trickery, but now, Taichi was able to face Naito head on, eating his strikes and asking for more, and countering Naito’s first attempt at the Destino. Taichi hit the falling elevated powerbomb for a near fall as the crowd gasped. Naito hit a running Destino for a near fall, falling by the Valentia. Naito attempted the Destino once more, but Taichi caught him and tried to hit the Black Mephisto, and Naito wiggled out. Naito hit his own Black Mephisto, and then the Destino for the three count.
Super Junior Tag League 2019 Final Match: Roppongi 3K (SHO & YOH) def. Suzukigun (El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (14:13) As Roppongi 3K entered, Suzukigun snuck up behind them and attacked them, taking an advantage before the bell rang. With that advantage, they dominated the early going, isolating YOH. SHO was able to rally when he tagged them in, but more good teamwork put him on the disadvantage as well. El Desperado went for the Pinche Loco on SHO, but it was reversed, then Roppongi 3K were able to take control when they finally worked together. El Desperado reversed the Shock Arrow and hit a headbutt, but YOH came in and Roppongi 3K were able to hit 3K to pin El Desperado and win the Super Junior Tag League. This is their third time winning the Super Junior Tag League.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo came out and attacked Roppongi 3K as they celebrated. With the tournament winners laid out, Bullet Club took the Super Junior Tag League trophies and posed with them as if they had won the tournament.
NEVER Openweight Championship Match: KENTA (c) def. Tomohiro Ishii (20:12) KENTA had been spending the whole tour taunting Tomohiro Ishii, calling him cute and generally belittling him. His patience exhausted, Ishii had no time for KENTA’s antics, immediately going after him and bringing him back in when he tried to bail from the ring. Ishii took KENTA’s strikes and asked for more, but eventually his resiliency found its limit, as KENTA grinded him down with kicks, only for Ishii to find another gear and take the advantage once more. As Ishii went for a sliding lariat, KENTA sneakily managed to put on the Game Over crossface. Due to Ishii’s lack of neck, he was able to make it to the ropes and break the submission. KENTA hit the Busaiku Knee Kick, but Ishii powered through, only to eat a second one. KENTA hit a Falcon Arrow, a PK, but Ishii reversed the Go 2 Sleep attempt. KENTA hit the Go 2 Sleep, then pulled down his knee pad and hit a second one to defeat Tomohiro Ishii and defend the NEVER Openweight Championship.
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: Will Ospreay (c) def. BUSHI (16:20) Ospreay started the match with guns blazing, sending BUSHI reeling with high-speed offense. BUSHI did a good job of using Ospreay’s momentum against him, countering the Sasuke Special by dropping Ospreay on his head with an apron DDT. BUSHI hit a lightning spiral and went for the MX, but Ospreay got out of the way. Ospreay accidentally hit the referee and BUSHI went to spray black mist in Ospreay’s face, but Ospreay stopped it by taking the black mist from his mouth and spitting it in BUSHI’s face. Ospreay hit a shooting star press only for BUSHI to get the knees up and spray mist in Ospreay’s face. BUSHI went for the MX once more, but Ospreay hit a head kick to stop him. BUSHI hit a codebreaker and the MX, but Ospreay kicked out at two. BUSHI went for another MX, but Ospreay gave him an Oscutter out of mid air, followed by a Hidden Blade. Finally, Ospreay hit the Super Oscutter and Stormbreaker to pin BUSHI and defend the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship.
After the match, Ospreay made a list of all the junior heavyweights that he defeated, remarking that he had beaten anyone and there was no one left. As he left the ring, the lights went out, and a video of a Time Bomb scheduled to go off in 1,448 hours played. (1,448 hours from the time of this writing is on January 4th, 2020). Hiromu Takahashi entered to an electric response, pulled off the neck bandage he was wearing, threw it into the crowd, and ran around taking bumps. He took the microphone and said, while in a neck bridge to show that his neck was fine, that Ospreay was now the strongest junior heavyweight, but that now “Hiromu is back” and challenged Ospreay for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match: Jay White (c) def Hirooki Goto (27:40) Ever since Hirooki Goto challenged White for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship at Destruction in Kobe, White had done nothing but belittle him, and say that he didn’t deserve to challenge for the Championship. In the early going, he seemed to be correct, as he controlled the early match, despite Goto nearly getting his hands on Gedo, who had yet to involve himself in the match. At one point, White threw Goto into the guardrail near the Japanese announce table, which drew the ire of guest commentator Katsuyori Shibata, who raised from his seat but did not act. White hit the Kiwi Crusher for a near fall. Goto rallied, hitting the Ushigoroshi, then went for the GTR, but White managed to avoid it, as Gedo distracted the referee to boos. White hit the sleeper suplex, but Goto headbutted him to stop him in his tracks, then hit a reverse GTR. Goto followed up with a Shouten Kai for a near fall. Goto hit the GTW, followed by the GTR, but Goto pulled the referee out of the ring so that he couldn’t count the pin, but Shibata came in and apprehended Gedo. KENTA then came in and hit Goto with a Go 2 Sleep, then a kick on Shibata. KENTA continued attacking Shibata, as Jay White hit the Blade Runner on Goto to retain the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
Jay White says he wants to be the first IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion and to wrestle against the winner of Ibushi vs. Okada on the second day of Wrestle Kingdom 14. He taunts Ibushi and Okada to come to the ring, but Tetsuya Naito comes to the ring instead. Eventually, Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada come to the ring as well. Naito and Ibushi are also in favor of a double championship match. However, Okada dissents, and says that there should be a fan vote to decide it. Jay White demands to be announced as “IWGP Intercontinental Champion and future double Champion.” He is announced as such, and confetti rains down as Naito glares at him from the entrance ramp.
Bullet Club leader Jay White has claimed the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. White defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Tetsuya Naito during New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Destruction in Kobe main event.
Since debuting for the promotion in 2017, ‘Switchblade’ Jay White has held the IWGP United States Championship, the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and now the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. His win over Naito also continues the streak of unsuccessful IWGP Intercontinental Championship defenses at NJPW’s Destruction in Kobe event.
After his victory, White would get on the microphone to gloat about his victory, listing out every member of Bullet Club in the manner that Naito speaks about his LIJ stablemates. He would be interrupted by CHAOS member Hirooki Goto.
Leaving the ring, the ‘Switchblade’ was clear in his opinion, stating that Goto is beneath him and undeserving of a championship opportunity. It’s worth noting that Goto holds a victory over Jay White during the G1 Climax tournament this past summer.
During the post-match interview, Jay White listed some of New Japan’s most notable wrestlers as people he has defeated including Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada. He then listed a few opponents that he feels he will be meeting soon including LIJ’s SANADA and EVIL, as well as Kota Ibushi and the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Okada. He once again stressed that Goto was beneath him and not worth his time.
“Switchblade” Jay White will challenge for the IWGP Intercontinental championship on September 22nd in Kobe, Japan. White defeated Naito during the G1 Climax 29 round-robin this year. It was the first time the two former IWGP Heavyweight champions have faced each other in single’s competition.
Intercontinental Championship match signed for DESTRUCTION in KOBE!
Jay White to challenge Tetsuya Naito in Kobe World Hall September 22!
“A huge championship match has been signed for DESTRUCTION in KOBE on Sunday, September 22, as Switchblade Jay White will face champion Tetsuya Naito, it has been announced,” an NJPW press release for the match reads.
White advanced to the finals of the G1 Climax with the win over Naito but would ultimately lose in the finals to Kota Ibushi.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 19, the tournament final day.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, have competed against every other member of their block. Two men stand alone as the finalists from their blocks. Who will be the G1 Climax 29 winner: Kota Ibushi or Jay White? Who will receive the opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020?
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Day 19 Matches
Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks defeatedRen Narita & Yota Tsuji The Los Angeles dojo team came out to unique music for the first time. Clark Connors submitted Yota Tsuji with a Boston crab at 9:53. Afterwards, a brawl between the LA and Tokyo young lions ensued and was broken up.
Jeff Cobb, Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask IV defeated Suzukigun (Lance Archer, Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) The former team came out to Liger’s music, which received a tremendous crowd response. Jeff Cobb pinned Yoshinobu Kanemaru with the Tour of the Islands at 7:36.
CHAOS (Will Ospreay, SHO & YOH) vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) Will Ospreay pinned Yujiro Takahashi after the Stormbreaker at 7:57.
Juice Robinson & Toa Henare defeated Jon Moxley & Shota Umino Toa Henare pinned Shota Umino after the Toa Bottom (uranage) at 6:19. Following his victory over Moxley yesterday, Juice gestured as if he wanted the IWGP US Heavyweight Championship, and they stood each other down in the ring. Moxley hit him with the championship belt and then gave him a uranage through a table.
Hirooki Goto, Togi Makabe, Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, EVIL, SANADA, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) SANADA pinned Tomoaki Honma after a top rope moonsault at 8:56.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa) defeatedTomohiro Ishii, KENTA & YOSHI-HASHI When Tomohiro Ishii tried to tag in KENTA, KENTA moved his hand away and left the ring, then hit Ishii with the Busaiku Knee Kick and Go 2 Sleep. Tama Tonga pinned Tomohiro Ishii after that at 8:35. After the match, Katsuyori Shibata ran out and attacked KENTA as the crowd erupted. However, Bullet Club ganged up on Shibata and beat him down, and KENTA sat cross-legged on the laid out Shibata.
Suzukigun (Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr.) defeatedKazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi This was a really hot tag team match, with the highlight being Shibata eating Okada’s strikes and asking for more, nearly finishing him off right then and there. Minoru Suzuki hit a La Mistica and then pinned Kazuchika Okada with the Gotch-style piledriver. Suzuki got on the microphone and said he wants the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
G1 Climax 29 Final Match: Kota Ibushi defeated Jay White All of the Bullet Club came out to ringside with Jay White, but the referee told them all to leave, but Gedo stayed. He tried to interfere in the match almost as soon as the bell rang, and the referee threw him out too. Jay White controlled the match in the early going, frequently working over the right knee of Ibushi that he assaulted yesterday. Ibushi fought back time and again, but his comebacks were cut short by Jay going back to the knee, or Ibushi inadvertently hurting his own knee. White threw Ibushi into the referee and hit a low blow, and then Gedo came back out and gave White a chair, which he used to hit Ibushi’s leg. Ibushi rallied back and White’s strikes seemed to have no effect on him. Gedo tried to interfere, but Ibushi neutralized him and hit a Boma Ye on White. Rocky Romero pulled Gedo out of the ring as Ibushi hit another Boma Ye. White reversed the Kamigoye into a Blade Runner, but Ibushi hit a Kamigoye that White kicked out of. Kota Ibushi hit another Kamigoye and pinned Jay White at 31:01 to win the 29th G1 Climax.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 18. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, compete against every other member of their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Jon Moxley, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito, and Jay White are all still in the running to win the B Block. Who will be the man to come on top in the B Block and face Kota Ibushi in the 29th G1 Climax final?
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Day 18 Undercard
Shota Umino & Ren Narita defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura Ren Narita submitted Yuya Uemura with a Boston crab at 7:34. Uemura was locked in for a long time and frantically struggling to escape, with the crowd vocally cheering him on.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) defeatedLos Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) SANADA was wildly over in this match. Yujiro Takahashi pinned BUSHI at 7:54 after the Pimp Juice DDT.
Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare defeated KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks Toa Henare pinned Karl Fredericks with the Toa Bottom (uranage) at 8:22.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Hiroshi Tanahashi pinned Zack Sabre Jr. with a flash lateral press at 10:35. As ZSJ threw a tantrum ringside, Tanahashi made a one-two-three gesture with his fingers.
Day 18 G1 Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jeff Cobb defeated Toru Yano The referee found that Yano was smuggling nearly half a dozen rolls of athletic tape in his trunks. After he baited Cobb into a handshake, he trapped Cobb’s hands inside his singlet and rolled him up, but Cobb kicked out. Running out of options, Yano hit Cobb with an impressive belly-to-belly suplex. Jeff Cobb blocked Yano’s mule kick and hit a superkick, followed by the Tour of the Islands to defeat Toru Yano at 5:16. Final scores: Cobb 8 points, Yano 8 points
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Taichi defeated Tomohiro Ishii Taichi was unexpectedly ferocious at the start, immediately hitting several backdrop drivers on Ishii. There was no shtick with him, only the strikes and throws everyone knows he can do when he’s not being a coward. After removing his pants, Taichi went for a Black Mephisto, but Ishii reversed it and floored him with a headbutt. Ishii went for the brainbuster twice but Taichi countered it both times. Taichi pinned Tomohiro Ishii with the Black Mephisto at 11:56. Final scores: 8 points Taichi, 8 points Ishii
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Juice Robinson defeated Jon Moxley Shota Umino came out with Jon Moxley wearing a leather jacket and posing alongside him. The match began with a fistfight before Moxley began to attack Juice’s knee, which had been significantly damaged by Jay White several days ago. Juice bit Moxley on the ear, causing his earring to come out, which Juice threw into the crowd. They traded punches as the crowd yelled “Juice! Mox!” depending on who hit one. Moxley put Juice in a long chinlock and the referee was about to call for the bell before Juice pulled on his leg to stop him. Angered by the referee’s refusal to make the decision, Moxley began throwing weapons in the ring. Losing his cool gave Juice the opportunity to fire back with punches followed by the Pulp Friction to pin Jon Moxley at 16:26 and end his hopes for the G1 Final. Final scores: 8 points Juice, 10 points Moxley
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Shingo Takagi defeated Hirooki Goto Coming off his victory against Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi expressed arrogance in the early going, but Goto was able to more than match him with regards to power. Goto wore Shingo with tight-looking sleeper holds, but Shingo broke it with a reverse noshigami, then followed up with a sliding lariat and a regular noshigami. This turned into a battle of lariats, then Goto reversed the ushigoroshi into the Made in Japan, but Goto kicked out at 2. Goto hit the reverse GTR, but Shingo floored him with a pumping bomber, followed by another. Shingo Takagi pinned Hirooki Goto with the Last of the Dragon at 15:10, and knocked him out of G1 final contention. Final scores: Shingo 8 points, Goto 10 points
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jay White defeated Tetsuya Naito Jay White stalled outside the ring to begin this match, but when he was finally ready to fight, Naito returned the favor, angering Jay. White dominated the match at first, and the crowd booed him all the while. Later on, Gedo tried to interefere, but Naito caught him and low blowed him, then kicked him out of the ring, then intercepted Jay’s attempted sneak attack. Naito reversed the Blade Runner attempt and hit the running Destino for a two-count, but White reversed the following Destino and hit a sleeper suplex. After a long series of counters, White hit another sleeper suplex, then a Bloody Sunday. Jay White pinned Tetsuya Naito with the Blade Runner at 18:51. Final scores: Jay White 12 points, Tetsuya Naito 10 points
Jay White called out Kota Ibushi, who came to the ring. Jay White said the match would be one-on-one, with no Gedo. They shook hands, but White nearly kicked him. As Ibushi left the ring, Gedo held his leg and White attacked him and hit his leg over and over with a chair.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 16 New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, compete against every other member of their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Day 16 Undercard
Shota Umino & Ren Narita defeated Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura This was a match featuring all young lions. Shota umino pinned Yota Tsuji with a bridging Fisherman’s suplex at 5:39.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) defeatedLos Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI) Chase Owens attempted to put a Paradise Lock on SANADA, but even with the verbal instructions of Milano Collection A.T., he was unable to figure it out. Chase Owens pinned BUSHI after a package piledriver at 7:50.
Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki) defeatedKENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks Minoru Suzuki pinned Clark Connors after a Gotch-style piledriver at 7:17. After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. condescendingly kicked KENTA out of the ring and said that now he was KENTA’s senpai (superior).
Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & YOSHI-HASHI defeated Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Toa Henare YOSHI-HASHI pinned Toa Henare with the Kumagoroshi (Fisherman’s brainbuster) at 7:20. Okada and Ibushi stared each other down after the match. Then, Okada stood with his back to Ibushi while holding up the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
Scheduled G1 Climax matches for Day 17 (August 10 – A Block):
EVIL vs. Lance Archer
SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale
KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay
Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada (The result of this match determines the finalist: a win for either person sends them to the Final; a draw sends Kazuchika Okada to the final)
Day 16 G1 Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Toru Yano defeated Taichi Taichi started the match by being uncooperative and generally unwilling to face Yano head on. Toru Yano simply tried to leave to the backstage area in frustration, but Yoshinobu Kanemaru came out and brought him back to the ring. Taichi rolled up Yano using the ring apron, which nearly won Taichi the match via countout. On the outside, Kanemaru tried to spit whiskey in Yano’s face, but Yano ducked and it hit Taichi instead. Yano then hit low blows on both of them and rolled them up together in the ring apron. Miho Abe tried to free them, but it was too late. Toru Yano defeated Taichi by countout at 5:04. Yano 8 points, Taichi 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito defeatedJeff Cobb Naito made fun of Cobb’s great bulk by posing like a sumo wrestler. Cobb started off using his power to beat down Naito and shrug off his offense, but Naito countered with attacks to the leg. Visibly slowed, Cobb continued to use his power moves whenever possible. Cobb managed to reverse the running Destino into an F5. Then, Cobb went for the Tour of the Islands but Naito countered it into a reverse DDT. Tetsuya Naito pinned Jeff Cobb after a Destino at 12:47. Naito 10 points, Cobb 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Hirooki Goto defeated Jon Moxley Moxley was visibly angry as he made his entrance, with his early lead on the competition evaporating before his eyes. He and Goto fought in a contest filled with forearms and lariats, in which they seemed evenly matched in terms of power and toughness. They even fought on the outside until nearly both getting counted out. After a double-arm DDT, Moxley went for the Death Rider but Goto stopped it. Hirooki Goto pinned Jon Moxley with an Ushigoroshi floated over into the GTR at 8:38. Goto 10 points, Moxley 10 points. This was Jon Moxley’s first clean singles match loss in NJPW.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jay White defeated Juice Robinson Jay White used his cerebral wrestling style to avoid taking hits from Juice while asserting an early advantage and attacking Juice’s knee. Noticeably hobbled, Juice attempted to make a comeback with punches but White went right back to the leg, taunting Juice all the while. Juice managed to make a comeback and attack Jay’s knee in return. Juice landed his left-handed punch, but Gedo distracted the referee. Jay White attacked Juice’s leg further with a chair. Jay White submitted Juice Robinson with the J.T.O. (Juice Tapped Out) at 23:01. White 10 points, Juice 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Shingo Takagi defeated Tomohiro Ishii If anyone has seen these two men wrestle for any significant length of time, they could probably visualize this match and not be far off from reality. Ishii and Shingo both traded their hardest hits, called each other bastards, and challenged each other to hit them harder. A big lariat from Shingo made Ishii’s ear start bleeding. They traded one-count kickouts after lariats. It was a magical spectacle of masculinity and stubbornness. Shingo Takagi pinned Tomohiro Ishii with the Last of the Dragon at 22:41. Shingo 6 points, Ishii 8 points. They continued attacking each other after the match ended, obviously.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 14. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, compete against every other member of their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese. Start times: 11PM Pacific, 2AM Eastern, 7AM UK, 4PM East Australia
Day 14 Undercard
Shota Umino & Ren Narita defeated Toa Henare & Yuya Uemura There were no G1 Climax participants involved in this match. Shota Umino pinned Yuya Uemura with a bridging Fisherman’s suplex at 6:06.
Suzukigun (Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) defeatedLos Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI) Minoru Suzuki pinned BUSHI after a delayed Gotch-style piledriver at 6:38. After the match, Lance Archer attacked SANADA as he was leaving and smashed his head against a wall.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma Chase Owens pinned Bad Luck Fale after a package piledriver at 8:16.
CHAOS (Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks YOSHI-HASHI submitted Clark Connors with the Butterfly Lock at 8:24. KENTA and Ospreay nearly came to blows after the match. As CHAOS was making their way to the back, Ospreay yelled to the camera operator “KENTA is my bitch!”
Scheduled G1 Climax matches for Day 15 (August 7 – A Block):
Lance Archer vs. SANADA
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
Day 14 G1 Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tomohiro Ishii defeated Toru Yano Ishii immediately went after Yano before the bell to finish him off quickly, but Yano pulled his t-shirt over Ishii’s face and nearly rolled him up for the win. Yano took a chair and sat on the ramp, taunting Ishii to come attack him, but Ishii didn’t take the bait, and Yano rushed back into the ring to avoid the countout. From that point, Yano started using actual wrestling moves like lariats and suplexes to make this a very heated match between stablemates. Tomohiro Ishii pinned Toru Yano after a vertical drop brainbuster at 9:36. Ishii 8 points, Yano 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Taichi defeated Juice Robinson Yoshinobu Kanemaru was seconding Taichi and attacked Juice Robinson as he was making his entrance, allowing Taichi to start the match at an immediate advantage. Taichi continued to dominate after the match returned to the ring. Juice made a comeback, but Taichi countered the Pulp Friction to cut him off. Then, Kanemaru tried to interfere again, but a big punch from Juice neutralized him. However, Taichi capitalized on the distraction and pinned Juice Robinson after a Black Mephisto at 12:28. Taichi 6 points, Juice 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Hirooki Goto defeated Jeff Cobb From the outset, it became clear that Cobb was the stronger and more resilient man in this match, as he controlled the match early with strikes and slams, with occasional bursts of retaliation from Goto. Goto roared to life with an ushigoroshi followed by kicks and a reverse GTR, and the match continued to favor him as it went on, with Cobb looking visibly tired. Hirooki Goto pinned Jeff Cobb after a GTR at 11:20. Goto 8 points, Cobb 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jay White defeated Jon Moxley After not being able to get his hands on White at all yesterday, Moxley jumped Jay White before the bell. He went to set up a table on the outside, but Gedo removed it from the ringside area to heavy boos. With White down, Gedo distracted Moxley for enough time for White to hit a low blow followed by a brass knuckles punch from Gedo. That didn’t end the match, but it didn’t last much longer after that. Jay White pinned Jon Moxley after a Blade Runner at 15:15. White 8 points, Moxley 10 points. Although it was not a fair fight, Jay White has achieved the first pinfall victory on Jon Moxley in NJPW.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito defeated Shingo Takagi Being a never-before-seen match between two stablemates, this match had a big fight feel from the outset. They didn’t fight with the sportsmanship and respect one would expect from teammates and long-time friends, as this match contained condescending cheap shots, spitting, mean name-calling, and cocky pins. Takagi looked very strong in this match, throwing Naito all over the place and cleverly countering many of Naito’s moves. For the second day in a row, the main event came close to a draw, and it seemed like Naito just eked out a win over his fellow LIJ member. Tetsuya Naito pinned Shingo Takagi after a Destino at 27:15. Naito 8 points, Shingo 4 points.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 12. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, compete against every other member of their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese. Start times: 2:30AM Pacific USA, 5:30AM Eastern USA, 10:30AM UK, 7:30PM East Australia
Day 12 Undercard
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) def.KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks Chase Owens pinned Karl Fredericks at 8:11 after a package piledriver. KENTA versus Bad Luck Fale takes place on Day 13 in the A Block (August 13).
Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) def. Suzukigun (Lance Archer & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) This was a match involving two teams from the same faction. Nevertheless, Sabre and Suzuki attacked Archer and Kanemaru as they were making their entrance. Sabre pinned Kanemaru with the European Clutch at 5:00. Lance Archer faces Zack Sabre Jr. on Day 13.
Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare defeatedHiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita Toa Henare pinned Ren Narita with the Toa Bottom at 8:18. Hiroshi Tanahashi faces Kota Ibushi on Day 13, in a rematch of last year’s G1 Final.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI) YOSHI-HASHI submitted BUSHI with the Butterfly Lock at 9:14. EVIL versus Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada versus SANADA take place on G1 Day 13, the latter of which is the main event.
Day 12 G1 Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jeff Cobb defeated Shingo Takagi Shingo Takagi attempted to match Jeff Cobb early on in terms of strength, but was unable to bring down the heaviest member of the B Block was shoulder tackles. Shingo switched to targeting Cobb’s legs to counteract Cobb’s agility, then transitioned to wearing him down with strikes and power moves. Noticeably slowed, Cobb managed to make a comeback and pinned Shingo Takagi after the Tour of the Islands at 12:27. Cobb 6 points, Shingo 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Toru Yano defeated Jon Moxley Yano sprayed Moxley with water and then begged for his forgiveness by offering his DVD, but Moxley did not take the bait. Yano tried to tape Moxley’s legs together, but Moxley reversed it on him and taped his arm to the barricade for a near countout. Moxley took out a table and tried to use it against Yano, but Yano dodged the attack, low blowed Moxley and Shota Umino, then taped their legs together outside the ring. Toru Yano defeated Jon Moxley by countout at 5:08. Yano 6 points, Moxley 10 points. This is Moxley’s first defeat in NJPW.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito defeated Juice Robinson Juice attempted to provoke Naito by taking an excessively long time to begin, the same way Naito did so against Moxley, which lead to his defeat. Irate, Naito mimicked Juice’s moves and mannerisms against him, cheering for Juice in a mocking way. Angered, Juice fired back up, drawing blood from Naito. Nevertheless, Naito pinned Juice after a Destino at 13:17. Naito 6 points, Juice 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jay White defeated Taichi Both men took a long time to start this match, avoiding making contact for several minutes. They both fought dirtily and their their valets fought as well, with Gedo pulling Miho Abe’s hair to distract Taichi. White condescendingly taunted Taichi to attack him and the match eventually broke down as both men went for low blows and received interference from their seconds. Jay White pinned Taichi after a Blade Runner. White 6 points, Taichi 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Hirooki Goto defeated Tomohiro Ishii Not a lot of detail can be given about this match. This was simply a slugfest between two men who, despite being stablemates, held nothing back. Even after his excursion to the LA Dojo, Goto was still subject to Ishii’s underestimation and taunts to hit him harder. On this day, those taunts and Ishii’s perception of himself as an unbreakable wall were his undoing. Hirooki Goto pinned Tomohiro Ishii after a GTR at 18:01. Goto 6 points, Ishii 6 points.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 10. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, compete against every other member of their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Day 10 Undercard
Ren Narita defeated Yuya Uemura This was a singles match involving young lions, so no participants are involved in the G1 Climax tournament. Ren Narita pinned Yuya Uemura with a bridging belly-to-belly suplex at 7:25.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) defeated Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare Yujiro Takahashi pinned Tomoaki Honma with the Pimp Juice DDT at 8:20. Kota Ibushi faces Bad Luck Fale on Day 11 (July 30) in the A Block.
Suzukigun (Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) defeatedKazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI & Shota Umino Yoshinobu Kanemaru pinned Shota Umino with the Deep Impact DDT at 9:35. Respectively, Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay’s next opponents in the A Block are Lance Archer and Zack Sabre Jr. After the match, Archer took the microphone from English commentary and cut a threatening promo on Okada.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) defeatedHiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA & Karl Fredericks BUSHI pinned Karl Fredericks with the M-X at 8:59. KENTA faces SANADA and Hiroshi Tanahashi faces EVIL on G129 Day 10, the latter of which is the main event.
Day 10 G1 Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match:Hirooki Goto defeated Toru Yano Toru Yano feigned sportsmanship against his CHAOS faction-mate, but he could not resist his urge to cheat, attempting to put his t-shirt over Goto’s head and roll him up, but failed to do so. Hirook Goto blocked the mule kick and pinned Toru Yano with the Goto Shiki in 1:42. Goto 4 points, Yano 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tomohiro Ishii defeated Juice Robinson Not many different moves were done in this match that served more as a test of Juice’s grit. Juice probably took more punishment and got back up than in any NJPW match of his to date, perhaps trying too hard to show his toughness at the expense of his victory. Tomohiro Ishii pinned Juice Robinson after a vertical drop brainbuster. Ishii 6 points, Juice 6 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jeff Cobb defeated Taichi Taichi feigned a show of sportsmanship with a handshake, but soon reverted to his old tricks, such as using his valet Miho Abe as a human shield. When Jeff Cobb was finally able to get his hands on Taichi, he dominated him with relative ease with his strength. Jeff Cobb pinned Taichi after a Tour of the Islands at 12:30. Cobb 4 points, Taichi 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jay White defeated Shingo Takagi Shingo was able to overpower White during the short bursts that the were in the ring together, but White outsmarted him into leaving the ring, where he was able to achieve his own advantage with moves on the apron and barricades. White cleverly avoided a lot of Shingo’s offense and it likely made the difference. Jay White pinned Shingo Takagi after the Blade Runner at 19:26. Shingo 4 points, White 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jon Moxley defeated Tetsuya Naito Naito went to great lengths to rile Moxley up before the match, making his entrance especially slowly and then throwing his tearaway pants at the US Heavyweight Champion. This match was full of personality, with the short fuse of Moxley being lit again and again by Naito’s antics, and Naito just might have pushed him too far. Jon Moxley pinned Tetsuya Naito after the Death Rider at 16:41. Moxley 10 points, Naito 4 points.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 8. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers, divided into two blocks of ten, compete against every other member of their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Day 8 Undercard
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens) defeated Will Ospreay, Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura Yujiro Takahashi pinned Yuya Uemura with the Pimp Juice DDT at 9:20. Will Ospreay faces Bad Luck Fale in the A Block on July 27.
Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki) defeatedLos Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) Minoru Suzuki pinned BUSHI after a Gotch style piledriver at 8:09. Suzuki’s frustration at being excluded from the G1 reared its head after the match, as he attacked young lions and ripped up barricades. Zack Sabre Jr. dared EVIL to confront him in the ring, but bailed out when EVIL took the bait. A Block matches on July 27 include EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino defeated Kota Ibushi & Ren Narita With unique and entertaining interactions between young lions and elite NJPW wrestlers, this was definitely the undercard match to watch if one had to be chosen. Hiroshi Tanahashi pinned Ren Narita after a Sling Blade at 7:45. Tanahashi and Ibushi compete against SANADA and Lance Archer, respectively, on G129 Day 9.
Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Toa Henare defeated KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks) The interactions between Okada and KENTA alone make this match also worth watching, with the two of them acting condescendingly towards each other, as well as Okada diverting his attention multiple times to attack KENTA even when he wasn’t the legal man. YOSHI-HASHI submitted Clark Connors with the Butterfly Lock at 8:51. The main event of G1 Climax 29 Day 9 is Kazuchika Okada versus KENTA.
Day 8 Tournament Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Juice Robinson defeated Toru Yano This match revolved around Juice being onto Yano’s tricks, including catching himself on the slingshot into the exposed turnbuckle, noticing the roll of tape in Yano’s tights, and avoiding the low blow. He was too clever for Yano throughout the match and dispatched the trickster with relative speed. Juice Robinson defeated Toru Yano by pinfall after a Pulp Friction at 4:28. Juice 6 points, Yano 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Taichi defeated Hirooki Goto After Taichi stole a young lion’s “LA Dojo” shirt and stomped on it in the ring, Goto fought like he had vengeance to claim, while Taichi used underhanded tactics before eventually letting his wrestling do the talking, after soon understanding the levity of his opponent. The longer the match went, the more Taichi realized he was outmatched and would have to win by any means necessary. Taichi defeated Hirooki Goto by pinfall with a Gedo Clutch after a low blow at 12:11. Goto 2 points, Taichi 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi Shingo and Moxley wasted no time breaking into a raw slugfest, but Moxley turned the match in a different direction, attacking Shingo’s left leg to slow down the explosive junior heavyweight. Shingo struggled for the rest of the match on a bad limb and it hindered everything he did, with only short bursts of energy before fading again. Jon Moxley defeated Shingo Takagi by submission with a Texas cloverleaf at 14:45. Moxley 8 points, Shingo 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jay White defeated Jeff Cobb White immediately was trying to take every advantage that he could on Cobb, for fear that he would be outgunned in a fair fight. Gedo was a thorn in Cobb’s side throughout the match, so Cobb hit him with what was apparently the most excruciating body slam of all time. Jay White defeated Jeff Cobb by pinfall with the Blade Runner at 15:50. It was not a clean victory and was by the skin of his teeth, but White is finally on the board. 2 points Cobb, 2 points White.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito defeated Tomohiro Ishii Naito was incredibly over from the outset, on account of this event taking place in Hiroshima, the home of his favorite baseball team. Naito focused on the head and neck (or lack thereof) of the stone pitbull with DDTs, ranas, and neckbreakers. Eventually, this devolved into an all-out war of attrition with a molten hot crowd. Tetsuya Naito defeated Tomohiro Ishii by pinfall after a Destino in 18:58. Ishii 4 points, Naito 4 points.
Welcome to our results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 6. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continues today and will run until Day 19 on August 12.
Twenty wrestlers compete in blocks of ten against every other wrestler in their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The wrestler with the most points in each block will move on to a final match, with the winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
Watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
G1 Climax 29 Day 6 Undercard
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) defeated (Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Bad Luck Fale pinned Yoshinobu Kanemaru at 4:40 after a Grenade. After the match, Zack Sabre Jr. tried to sneak attack Fale and choke him out, but Fale caught him and laid him out with the Grenade. Bad Luck Fale vs. Zack Sabre Jr. is scheduled for tomorrow in the A Block.
Suzukigun (Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki) defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma Archer’s shoulder was heavily taped up, likely due to KENTA’s Game Over submission yesterday. Lance Archer pinned Tomoaki Honma with the EBD Claw at 9:48. He refused to release the claw on Honma after the match ended, then used the claw on Tanahashi as well. Archer and Tanahashi clash in the A Block tomorrow.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI)defeated Kota Ibushi, KENTA & Clark Connors BUSHI pinned Clark Connors at 9:02 with the MX. Following the match, Ibushi and SANADA stared each other down in the ring and appealed to the crowd for cheers. Neither wrestler seemed to be getting more cheers than the other. EVIL vs. KENTA and SANADA vs. Ibushi both take place tomorrow.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Will Ospreay & Toa Henare YOSHI-HASHI pinned Toa Henare at 8:46 with the Kumagoroshi suplex. Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay is the main event of tomorrow’s A Block show.
G1 Climax 29 Day 6 Tournament Matches
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Shingo Takagi defeated Taichi After a brief period where Taichi tried to use underhanded tactics and weapons on the outside of the ring, this turned into a hard-hitting battle of lariats and kicks. Shingo Takagi pinned Taichi with the Last of the Dragon at 14:40. Takagi 4 points, Taichi 2 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jeff Cobb defeated Juice Robinson This was a more slower-paced encounter than the previous one, with Juice trying to apply his usual offense but being overtaken by Cobb’s great weight and strength. Jeff Cobb pinned Juice Robinson at 13:21 with the Tour of the Islands for his first win of the G1. Cobb 2 points, Juice 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Toru Yano defeated Jay White This was a brief match with a very high density of cheating. Jay White thought he had Yano figured out, such as avoiding the slingshot into the exposed turnbuckle, but that was not the case. Toru Yano hit a low blow using brass knuckles while the referee was distracted and pinned Jay White with a roll up at 3:04. Yano 4 points, White 0 points. Notably, all three of White’s matches so far were against members of CHAOS, the faction he betrayed last year, and they all got their revenge.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tetsuya Naito defeated Hirooki Goto Goto came after Naito right out of the gate and had most of his moves scouted, but Naito used his greater quickness to get in fast attacks and counter Goto’s moves. Tetsuya Naito pinned Hirooki Goto with the Destino at 16:01. Naito 2 points, Goto 2 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jon Moxley defeated Tomohiro Ishii This was a brutal battle to end all battles, with Moxley’s penchant for violence fighting against Ishii’s inhuman resilience. Tables and chairs were used, stiff shots were thrown, and Moxley was pushed to his very limit for the first time in NJPW, but it was not enough. Jon Moxley pinned Tomohiro Ishii after a Death Rider at 20:36. Moxley 6 points, Ishii 4 points.
Welcome to our ongoing Live Results of NJPW G1 Climax 29 Day 4. This will be updated with results and new points standings throughout the event.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continued today and will run until Day 19 on August 12. Twenty wrestlers compete in blocks of ten against every other wrestler in their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The most dominant wrestler in each block will move on to a final match, with winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
One can watch this event on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Kota Ibushi & Jushin Thunder Liger defeated Shota Umino & Yota Tsuji Jushin Thunder Liger’s entrance got a great reaction from the crowd, as expected since this is likely Liger’s last match ever in Hokkaido Prefecture. The match began with Liger stretching Umino out in the mat, then transitioned into Ibushi and Tsuji trading hard hits and slaps. Tsuji breaking up Liger’s Romero Special on Umino got heavy boos from the audience. Tsuji got a lot of offence in on Ibushi, including a turning body slam and a spear, then attempted to put him in the Boston crab only to get it broken by slaps. Kota Ibushi submitted Yota Tsuji with a single-leg Boston crab at 8:19. Liger then cut a promo stating that, since he’s retiring in six months, this is his last match in Hokkaido, but he hopes that all the fans will support him wherever he goes.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) def. Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare & Ren Narita EVIL entered without his scythe. He was probably not allowed to bring it with him on the flight from Tokyo to Sapporo. Toa Henare hit a stalling suplex on SANADA and he hit a double Kokeshi on BUSHI with Tomoaki Honma. This was a short encounter. after the match, EVIL stared down SANADA, his stable mate who he has as his next G1 Climax match. BUSHI pinned Ren Narita after an M-X at 7:18. He then tried to hit SANADA with the EVIL, but SANADA reversed it into the Skull End, then they broke apart.
Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def.Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks Suzukigun attacked Tanahashi, KENTA, and the LA Dojo young lions before the bell, with Lance Archer going after KENTA and Sabre Jr. going after Tanahashi. Karl Fredericks managed to floor Minoru Suzuki with a shoulder tackle, only to get caught in a rope-hung armbar, and then get pulled out of the ring and be pummeled with chairs and sections of the ring barricade. Lance Archer briefly joined the English commentary team. Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. went after each other with dueling cobra twists. Clark Connors put Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a Boston crab and Suzuki kicked him in the face to break the hold, but he held it and bravely asked for more. Yoshinobu Kanemaru pinned Clark Connors after a Deep Impact at 11:32.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) defeated Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) YOSHI-HASHI spent most of the match getting beaten up by Chase Owens and Bad Luck Fale, until he hit a dropkick to Fale’s knee to enable the hot tag to Kazuchika Okada. Okada’s running shoulder tackle did not knock Fale down, but his body slam did. Owens nearly hit a package piledriver on Okada, but Okada reversed it as YOSHI-HASHI hit a big lariat on Fale that sent both of them tumbling out of the ring. Okada pinned Chase Owens with a Rainmaker at 8:43.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Shingo Takagi [2]defeated Toru Yano [2] Shingo Takagi urged Toru Yano to remove his t-shirt for this bout. He did so, only for Takagi to attack him in the process. He then tried to put his shirt on Takagi’s head and roll him up, but failed. Yano left the ring and baited Takagi into coming out to attack him, only to run back to the ring and put a table and barricades in his way, but he still made it back before he could be counted out. Toru Yano went for his trademark red chair and threw it at Takagi, making it look as if Takagi had used it, but the referee did not believe him. BUSHI came out to distract the referee. Shingo Takagi pinned Toru Yano after a Pumping Bomber at 6:16. Shingo Takagi 2 points, Toru Yano 2 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Juice Robinson [4] defeated Hirooki Goto [2] Goto really does look much leaner after his vacation to the LA Dojo. After Juice managed to reverse the Ushigoroshi, they traded simultaneous lariats until Goto managed to get him down, then land the Ushigoroshi successfully. Goto went for the GTR but Juice broke it with strikes to the head. Juice went for his left hand-punch, but Goto headbutted his fist to block it, then Goto went for a punch of his own and Juice responded in kind. After a hard-hitting fight, Juice Robinson pinned Hirooki Goto after a Pulp Friction at 12:23. Hirooki Goto 2 points, Juice Robinson 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jon Moxley [4] defeated Jeff Cobb [0] Moxley went after Cobb’s arms early to try and reduce his strength advantage, but his chops to the chest that followed seemed to have little effect on Cobb. Moxley looked under the ring for a table, but either changed his mind or couldn’t find one. After a diving elbow drop to a standing Cobb, Moxley went for the Death Rider but was unable to get Cobb off his feet. After a running knee to the head, Jon Moxley pinned Jeff Cobb after a rope-hung Death Rider at 8:54. Jeff Cobb 0 points, Jon Moxley 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tomohiro Ishii [4] defeated Jay White [0] When the match began, White went to the outside and taunted Cobb to come out with him. Ishii left the ring and then threatened to attack Gedo, which provoked White into finally retaliating. At one point, White landed a DDT on Ishii that landed him right on top of his head. When they had a battle of forearms, Ishii managed to knock him down. White would get the upper hand only for Ishii to come back and ask to be hit harder. The crowd very hot for Ishii to win. White went for the Blade Runner, but Ishii reversed it into a Complete Shot, followed by a sliding lariat and a brainbuster to pin Jay White at 19:13. Jay White 0 points, Tomohiro Ishii 4 points.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Taichi [2] defeated Tetsuya Naito [0] To start the match, Naito laid down in the center of the ring, telling Taichi to pin him. Taichi went for the pin only for Naito to roll him up for a 2-count.A back and forth period transpired with Naito’s quick and precise offence against Taichi’s hard kicks. Taichi teased using the retired Takashi Iizuka’s Iron Finger from Hell, but Naito managed to knock it away from him. Naito went for the Destino but Taichi countered it and floored him with a high kick and then a Ganso bomb. After a pop-up low blow that the referee didn’t see, Naito went for a Destino but Taichi reversed it into Black Mephisto. Taichi finally managed to hit Naito with the Iron Finger From Hell into a Last Ride powerbomb for the win at 21:01. Tetsuya Naito 0 points, Taichi 2 points.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s 29th G1 Climax tournament continued with Day 2 today and will run until Day 19 on August 12. Twenty wrestlers compete in blocks of ten against every other wrestler in their block. They gain 2 points for a victory and 1 point for a draw. The most dominant wrestler in each block will move on to a final match, with winner getting an opportunity to challenge for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in the Tokyo Dome in January 2020.
This event can be watched on NJPW World with commentary in either English or Japanese.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) defeated Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Yuya Uemura Ibushi and EVIL started off the match, teasing their never-before-seen singles match to take place on G1 Day 3. Ibushi sustained a minor injury to his ankle on Day 1 in his match with KENTA and EVIL capitalized by cutting the legs out from under him. BUSHI pinned Yuya Uemura after a codebreaker at 7:58.
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens) defeated Suzukigun (Lance Archer & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) Bad Luck Fale came out smoking a cigar, which is unusual. He and Archer immediately went after each other, in what will be one of the physically largest matches in all of G1 history. Chase Owens got several hopeful moments of offense on Archer, but he didn’t seem to register them much. Comparatively speaking, Owens and Kanemaru’s periods of fighting were extremely technical. Fale went for the Grenade but Kanemaru blew whiskey in his face. Chase Owens pinned Yoshinobu Kanemaru with a package piledriver at 5:59.
KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita This was the first NJPW event in Japan for Clark Connors and Karl Fredericks, young lions from NJPW’s Los Angeles Dojo, trained by Katsuyori Shibata. Before the bell, Tanahashi and KENTA, as well as the Tokyo young lions and LA Dojo young lions, started to shove each other, as if they didn’t want to wait for the match to start to begin fighting. The referee pulled them apart and the match began with mat wrestling between Connors and Narita, but intensified over time. When Tanahashi and KENTA finally interacted in the match, the crowd took major notice. Karl Fredericks submitted Ren Narita with a single leg Boston Crab at 11:13.
Suzukigun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki) defeated CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) Minoru Suzuki looked sufficiently irate being excluded from the G1 Climax and spent a good portion of the match taking it out on poor YOSHI-HASHI. Zack Sabre Jr. eventually joined him in doing so, when he wasn’t posturing with Okada and trying to put him in many holds. Zack Sabre Jr. submitted YOSHI-HASHI with a cross armbar at 11:16.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Juice Robinson defeated Shingo Takagi Shingo and Juice traded shoulder tackles and strikes early on, driving home that they were roughly equal in terms of power. At one point, they even let each other chop each other before Shingo floored Juice with a double arm chop. This match had lots of yelling, stiff strikes, and power moves, but Juice pulled out the victory at the end. Currently, Takagi is paralleling fellow junior heavyweight Will Ospreay in the A Block by losing his first match. Juice Robinson pinned Shingo Takagi after a Pulp Friction at 14:41.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Jon Moxley defeated Taichi Shota Umino, Jon Moxley’s personal young lion, came out carrying Moxley’s IWGP US Heavyweight Championship. Taichi immediately took to the crowd to attack Moxley as he was making his entrance. After a dive to the outside, Moxley found a table from under the ring, and soon put Taichi through it with a uranage. After the referee got pushed out of the ring, Miho Abe slipped Taichi, but Moxley managed to use it against him and soon finish him off. After a quick and violent match, Jon Moxley pinned Taichi following a Death Rider at 7:36.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Toru Yano defeated Tetsuya Naito After noticing Naito was wearing a t-shirt with his ring gear, Toru Yano procured one of his own t-shirts to wear as well, and they wrestled wearing said shirts. Naito mimicked Yano’s trademark moves, such as attempting to remove a turnbuckle pad and use it as a weapon. As he was doing so, the referee removed it from his grasp, giving Yano an opening to pull Naito and the referee’s shirts over their faces, enabling him to win the match. Toru Yano pinned Tetsuya Naito with a roll up. Match time 3:42.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Tomohiro Ishii defeated Jeff Cobb The opening grappling exchange (with Cobb lifting Ishii with one arm) and shoulder tackles set the tone: for once, Ishii would not be the more irresistable force in this match. Repeatedly, Cobb hit Ishii hard with forearms and chops only for Ishii to taunt him to hit him harder, and so he did. Ishii and Cobb went on to deliver greater feats of strength against each other, with ever-increasing levels of visceral shock. Tomohiro Ishii pinned Jeff Cobb with a vertical drop brainbuster at 18:33.
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match: Hirooki Goto defeated Jay White Jay White pulled out a chair from under the ring and set it up at ringside for Gedo, insisting he would defeat Goto in 10 minutes. After sticking to Goto and attacking him in all sorts of disrespectful ways, Goto began to rally with hard strikes and throws before White would continually cut him off. After he attempted to pin Goto with a foot on his chest, the referee refused to count it and White lost patience, enabling Goto to make a comeback. After Gedo came in and tried to interfere on White’s behalf, Goto had lost all patience and destroyed White quickly. Hirooki Goto defeated Jay White after a GTR at 21:06. Goto looked reinvigorated after his summer trip to the LA Dojo and declared that “The G in G1 stands for Goto!” to a chorus of cheers.
Mark Cuban is known to speak his mind and did just that when talking about New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The AXS TV CEO recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard as part of an interview with Bullet Club leader “Switchblade” Jay White. The invitation of White offering a spot to Cuban as part of the group was brought up.
“Mark Cuban has some resources that Bullet Club can use,” said White. “All of us will welcome Mark. Bullet Club can have front-row tickets to Mavericks games to watch Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis.”
Cuban recognized the value of the offer but is unable to make it to the American Airlines Arena this weekend for the G1 Climax: Dallas event.
“I love the idea,” responded Cuban. “As you know, I’ve taken and given a few bumps in my life. Unfortunately, I have an NBA meeting in Vegas or I would.”
Cuban, who is known for appearing on Shark Tank that is a widely popular show that airs on ABC as well as being the owner of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks, is a big wrestling fan. He’s appeared on WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night Raw, a few times in the past.