A sold-out Korakuen Hall in Tokyo hosts B Block action on night 12 of the NJPW G1 Climax 34 tournament.
In the main event, Hirooki Goto (6 points) faces David Finlay (8 points). It will be the first career singles meeting between the two, as Goto looks to stay alive, while Finlay aims to keep his spot atop B Block.
In the semi-main, Yuya Uemura (6 points) faces Ren Narita (6 points). Uemura and Narita were part of the same class of Young Lions and thus have met 12 times previously in singles bouts, with Narita winning all 12.
HENARE (6 points) will take on Yota Tsuji (6 points) in another B Block bout on the show.
Konosuke Takeshita (6 points) faces El Phantasmo (4 points) in more B Block action.
In the night’s opening tournament bout, Jeff Cobb (8 points) will face Boltin Oleg (4 points) with Cobb trying to keep pace atop the B Block.
Tonight’s undercard:
- Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. EVIL & Dick Togo
- Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee
- SANADA & TAKA Michinoku vs. Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman
Tonight’s show streams live on NJPW World beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time.
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Recommended Matches
Jeff Cobb vs. Oleg Boltin – This was one of my favorite matches from the tournament. With every outing from Oleg, he looks better than the last.
Konosuke Takeshita vs. El Phantasmo – This was the most over-the-top match of the tournament. It was filled with intensity and passion. It’s easily one of the standout matches from this year’s G1.
Hirooki Goto vs. David Finlay – Again, if you’re looking for a traditional New Japan main event, it seems like Goto is your man this G1. He more than delivered tonight with a classic, emotional performance.
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Undercard Results
Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman defeated SANADA & TAKA Michinoku
Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee defeated Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma
Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi defeated EVIL & Dick Togo
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B Block Results
Jeff Cobb defeated Oleg Boltin
This match was fantastic. What started as a wrestling showcase escalated into a war of convincing power moves and desperation.
This match opened with grappling, showing off both guy’s amateur backgrounds. Oleg won out in the initial scramble, forcing Cobb to the floor. After returning to the ring, Cobb caught Oleg with a strike instead of grappling, changing the flow of the match. Oleg responded by throwing Cobb across the ring and laying into Cobb with strikes of his own.
Cobb answered Oleg by kicking him on the mat to establish a lead. When Cobb attempted his standing moonsault, Oleg moved out of the way to reverse the momentum once more. Both men traded dropkicks to stay on even footing as the match continued to heat up.
Oleg eventually caught Cobb with a belly-to-belly suplex. This opened the door for a substantial sequence from Oleg, ending with a splash that scored him a nearfall. Oleg then tried to follow up with his gut wrench throw, but Cobb slipped free and did the move himself to retake the lead.
Cobb tried for a lariat, but Oleg caught him with another massive suplex. Oleg then hit Cobb with his gut wrench throw and a Boltin Bomb for a nearfall. With the end in sight, Oleg tried for his finish, but Cobb slipped free. This led to a back-and-forth for control, initially favoring Cobb.
Cobb tried for the Aloha Maker, but Cobb reversed into the Kamikaze. This scored another nearfall for Oleg. When Oleg tried for another, Cobb slipped free, leading to back-and-forth lariats. Cobb’s lariat won out in the end, leaving him free to hit Tour of the Islands and win the match.
With this win, Cobb leads B Block with 10 points. It also eliminates Oleg from playoff contention.
Konosuke Takeshita defeated El Phantasmo
This match was insane. It was filled to the brim with wild action all at an absurd pace. This was, without a doubt, the best performance I’ve ever seen from ELP and a fantastic outing from Takeshita.
ELP started this match with confidence, landing a dropkick before gesturing to the crowd. Takeshita fired back with the Takeshita line and some taunting of his own. ELP then tried a strike, but Takeshita ducked, leading to an awkward headbutt in the midsection, leaving both men flustered. Takeshita followed up with a DDT and an Irish whip to establish a substantial lead.
ELP ducked a knee from Takeshita, sending Takeshita to the floor. ELP followed up with a reckless suicide dive and a stunning moonsault into the floor seats to completely reverse the momentum of the match. ELP then took a moment to celebrate in the crowd before returning to the ring with a springboard senton and moonsault for a nearfall.
ELP tried for a crossbody, but Takeshita caught him, reversing into a dazzling blue thunder bomb. Takeshita then walked to the floor, where he grabbed a table. Takeshita then posted the table outside the ring. ELP faught back on the apron, preventing Takeshita from driving him through the table. They then fought to the top rope, where ELP landed an avalanche rana and a Thunderkiss 86 for a false finish.
Takeshita escaped the CR2 once, but ELP followed up with a quick sequence that allowed him to hit it on his second attempt; Takeshita kicked out. ELP then tried for sudden death, but Takeshita fell to avoid the finish. Takeshita rolled to the outside, where ELP caught him with a pump kick that left him lying on the table from earlier. ELP then climbed to the top rope, but a moment of hesitation allowed Takeshita to meet him on the apron. Takeshita then grabbed ELP and hit him with a disgusting bastard driver through the table.
A now bloody ELP barely beat the count. Takeshita tried following up with a finish, but ELP slipped free and hit the sudden death for another false finish. ELP then struggled to engage in a strike exchange before trying for another quick pin and hitting another superkick. As ELP tried for his finish, Takeshita reversed into the bastard driver position, but ELP rolled through into a pin attempt. Takeshita powered out, hitting ELP with a wheelbarrow German. Takeshita then took ELP’s head off with a lariat, only for ELP to kick out at one. Takeshita then hit the power drive knee, but ELP kicked out again. Finally, Takeshita hit Raging Fire to win the match.
This win leaves Takeshita with 8 points and eliminates ELP from contention in B Block.
Yota Tsuji defeated HENARE
This was another entertaining match. I’d say it was the weakest so far, but it was still more than solid.
This match opened with a relatively slow feeling-out process, with both men looking to prove their strength. HENARE established an early lead that he used to strike down Tsuji methodically. Tsuji answered HENARE with a sudden curb stomp that led into a tope that turned the match on its head.
Tsuji tried for a suplex that HENARE stuffed. HENARE then hit a suplex of his own. When he tried to follow up in the corner, Tsuji caught him with another curb stomp. Tsuji then followed up with a Samoan drop from the top rope.
A strike exchange allowed HENARE to fight his way back into the match. The Bezerker Bomb left HENARE in a seemingly strong position until Tsuji dropped Henare with a lariat to reverse momentum once again. Tsuji launched into a short rally that ended with a lariat from HENARE, resulting in a match reset.
A knee strike from Tsuji turned into an intense strike exchange. HENARE ended it with a rampage, scoring him a nearfall. HENARE then hit a knee of his own but couldn’t land Streets of Rage. The pair traded headbutts before HENARE ran at Tsuji. Tsuji then sprung up, hit HENARE with the Gene Blaster, and pinned HENARE to win the match.
Tsuji’s win leaves him in solid position with 8 points.
Ren Narita defeated Yuya Uemura
This wasn’t great, but there are defintly worse House of Torture matches. Uemura’s personality and selling carried this match to a watchable level, so that’s something.
Narita jumped Uemura as the match began. He then drove Uemura’s legs into the ringpost and the floor before throwing him into the barricade to establish a strong lead. Back in the ring, Narita continued to target Uemura’s leg.
Uemura eventually fired up, chopping at Narita in the corner. Narita answered by gauging at Uemura’s eyes. When Uemura tried fighting back, he collapsed under the weight of his own body.
A sudden arm drag and dropkick from Uemura acted as a soft reset for Uemura, but the damage to his leg prevented Uemura from taking full advantage. He still managed to land a suplex before climbing to the top rope, where Kanemaru pushed him to the mat. Narita then locked in the knee bar, re-establishing a substantial lead.
Narita tried for the guillotine knee but missed. This allowed Uemura to knock him to the floor and hit a plancha, reversing the match’s momentum. He followed up with a crossbody for a nearfall and a German suplex for another.
Uemura tried for the deadbolt suplex, prompting Narita to bump the referee. Kanemaru missed the follow-up whiskey misting, and Uemura ejected him from the ring with a dropkick. Narita tried for a pushup bar shot, but Uemura blocked him and hit a dragon suplex to maintain his control.
Uemura tried for the deadbolt again. This led to Narita hitting the referee again and a low blow. Narita then landed the double cross and pinned Uemura to win the match.
Narita advances to 8 points.
Hirooki Goto defeated David Finlay
This was another classic Goto match, and a very good one at that.
In the opening back-and-forth, Goto dumped Finlay on the floor. He followed up with a tackle in the ring, but Finlay answered with a drop on the rope and a leg sweep to reverse momentum. The match then worked its way to the floor, where Finlay slammed Goto into the barricade and bit Goto’s forehead.
Back in the ring, Finlay began to pick apart Goto with a deliberate offense that lasted until Goto landed a massive lariat to reset the match. Goto followed up with a back suplex, but a lariat from Finlay sent both men back to the floor.
Finlay removed the padding on the outside and attempted a powerbomb on the exposed floor. Goto stuffed the move and dropped Finlay on the floor himself. Finlay answered by throwing Goto into the barricade again, maintaining a lead.
In the ring, Finlay continued to bite Goto, drawing the referee’s attention. This allowed Goto to fire back with a lariat and a ushigoroshi to retake the lead. A reverse GTR and a lariat set up the normal GTR, but Goto failed to connect. Instead, he landed a rope-assisted Shoto for a nearfall.
When Goto tried for the GTR again, Finlay slipped free and landed Oblivion. After Goto kicked out, Finlay hit a turnbuckle powerbomb and a traditional powerbomb for a nearfall. Finlay then tried for his finish, but Goto stuffed it, transitioning into Shouten Kai.
With Goto reversing the momentum, Gedo tried distracting the referee long enough for Finlay to use his shillelagh. Goto cut him off with a headbutt. Goto then threw the shillelagh to the floor and dropped Finlay with a GTW for a nearfall.
Goto attempted GTR, but Finlay reversed into Oblivion. On the decent, Goto caught the knee, blocking Finlay’s finish. Goto then dropped Finlay with a headbutt and hit Finlay with GTR to win the match.
Goto joins the crowded 8-point club, keeping his G1 very much alive.
