Tag: g1 28

NJPW G1 Climax 28 night 18 live results: Omega vs. Ibushi

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Ethan Renner

The second night of action in Budokan Hall will determine the B Block winner, who will face off against Hiroshi Tanahashi this Sunday morning in the G1 finals.

Three people are still alive in this block: Kota Ibushi and Kenny Omega, who will face each other, and Tetsuya Naito, who will face Zack Sabre Jr. There’s a number of scenarios that could go down where any of these three emerge as the B Block winner (a full list can be seen in today’s update). Naito needs to win or draw in his match tonight no matter what, and Ibushi needs to win his match no matter what.

Other matches that don’t have any implications in tonight’s tournament winner include Toru Yano taking on Tama Tonga, Tomohiro Ishii against SANADA and Hirooki Goto facing off against Juice Robinson.

Check in tonight at 5:30 a.m. EDT for live play by play action. There will be English commentary.

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DAVID FINLAY & MICHAEL ELGIN DEFEATED SHOTA UMINO & TOA HENARE (7:01)

A nice little opener here.

Henare and Umino opened up the action with some cool teamwork spots. Elgin cut Umino off with a belly-to-belly, and Elgin and Finlay hit some hard chops. Umino hit Elgin with a dropkick, and both men made tags.

Henare hit a top rope tackle on Finlay, and Umino tagged himself in. Umino hit a top rope dropkick, then applied a crab to Finlay. Elgin jumped in for the save, but it took two forearms and a chop before Umino broke the hold.

Elgin accidentally hit Finlay, allowing Umino to go for two cradles, earning two nearfalls. Finlay made his own comeback, hit Umino with an uranage, and followed with a stunner, getting the pin.

BAD LUCK FALE & TANGA LOA DEFEATED CHASE OWENS & HANGMAN PAGE (3:59)

A quick brawl, with the Bullet Club OGs coming out on top.

Page and Owens jumped Fale and Loa while they were making their ring entrance. Page sent Fale to the floor, and Owens and Page doubled up on Loa. Page hit a buckshot lariat and Owens made a cover on Loa, but Fale came in for the save.

Loa hit a blue thunder bomb on Owens for a nearfall. Page ducked a lariat from Loa and did a tope suicida on Fale. Owens went for a package piledriver on Loa, but Loa slipped out, hit a lariat, and hit apeshit for the pin.

THE YOUNG BUCKS & MARTY SCURLL DEFEATED ROPPONGI 3K & SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE (5:57)

This was more storyline than match, as they continue to highlight the issues between White and the rest of CHAOS. The Bucks were only in for alittle bit, but their stuff looked crisp.

Scurll and White started off as the legal men. White worked on Scurll’s arm, and tagged SHO. YOH jumped in illegally, and Roppongi briefly took out Scurll and the Bucks. The Bucks jumped in and hit a series of double team moves on SHO & YOH.

Scurll tagged in and used a crab on YOH, while SHO was stretched on his back. The Bucks hit a series of superkicks. White and Scurll tangled, but YOH jumped in to make the save for White. White was pleasantly surprised, thinking that perhaps he had finally turned YOH to his side.

YOH then accidentally hit White, and White bailed to the outside. Scurll put the chicken wing on YOH, and the Bucks applied cease and desist on SHO. White had the opportunity to make the save, but he refused, and YOH tapped out.

EVIL & BUSHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI & EL DESPERADO (7:39)

This was a wild brawl. Suzuki had his working shoes on, and they teased a future match between EVIL & Suzuki at a Rev Pro show.

They went at it before the bell, and brawled around ringside. Suzuki used a chair on EVIL, and EVIL sold it as though his spine was caving in. Once the action went to the inside, Suzuki worked over BUSHI’s arm.

EVIL got a tag, and went back and forth with Suzuki. EVIL hit a senton, but Suzuki hit a yakuza kick in the corner. Suzuki went for a PK, but EVIL caught it. Suzuki finally hit the PK on EVIL, and Desperado jumped in and hit a spear.

Suzuki used a rear naked choke and went for the Gotch, but BUSHI hit a missile dropkick and broke it up. BUSHI used a codebreaker on Suzuki, who rolled outside. EVIL hit everything is EVIL on Desperado, and got the pin.

HIROSHI TANAHASHI, TOGI MAKABE & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA, GEDO & YOSHI-HASHI (9:02)

This was really cool. Honma looks to be in good shape cosmetically. He still clearly has some recovery ahead of him, and probably shouldn’t be in the ring. Still, wrestling here clearly meant a lot to him, and the crowd loved him.

Tana and Okada started off, and picked right up where they left off yesterday. They each teased tombstones, but the sequence ended with Tanahashi hitting a dragon screw. Honma got a tag, and the place went crazy.

Honma hit a a chop and a slam on Okada. He went for kokeshi, but missed, and Okada went to work on his neck. Okada, Gedo, and YH all worked over Honma’s neck, until Honma was able to hit a desperation suplex on YH, and tagged Makabe.

Makabe and YH went back and forth. Everyone jumped in and hit a signature move. Okada hit a DDT, Tana hit a dragon screw, and then Honma hit a series of kokeshis, each one getting a bigger reaction. Makabe hit the king kong kneedrop on Gedo, and got the pin.

Honma was emotional after the match, and posed on the turnbuckle with tears in his eyes.

B BLOCK MATCH: TORU YANO DEFEATED TAMA TONGA (5:09)

You know what you’re getting when it comes to a Bullet Club OG match in this tournament. This one was no exception.

Loa accompanied Tonga to the ring, but was ejected from ringside before the opening bell.

Yano got an immediate roll-up for a quick nearfall. Yano untied two turnbuckle pads. He sent Tonga into one, but Tonga then sent him into the other. Tonga beat Yano all around the ring, and sent him into the barricade.

Back inside, Tonga refused to break a chokehold, and he shoved the referee down. Fale and Loa ran down, and New Japan referees and officials ran down to cut them off. Tonga beat up some refs, and got DQ’ed.

B BLOCK MATCH: JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO (10:38)

They worked a very deliberate pace, but the match was quite good.

They opened with some basic offense, drop downs, tackles, lock-ups, and clean breaks. Juice went to the apron, Goto locked on a sleeper, but on the break, Juice snapped Goto’s injured right arm over the top rope.

Juice went to work on the arm, then Goto baited him into attacking his head and neck instead. Juice hit a pair of headbutts and a couple of chops, but Goto came back with a mid kick. Goto hit a suplex for a nearfall, but Juice regained control, and hit a high cross off the top.

They hit simultaneous lariats. Goto went down, while Juice stayed on his feet. Juice went for an attack off the ropes, but Goto caught him with an ushigoroshi. Goto could not follow up, and Juice hit a juice box. Juice was also too drained to follow up.

Goto blocked a strike with his head, hit a headbutt, and an inverted GTR, but could not follow up. Juice went for pulp friction, but Goto slipped out. Juice hit a big left hand, then hit pulp friction, and got the pin.

They made an announcement that the Bullet Club OG had been escorted out of the building.

B BLOCK MATCH: TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED SANADA (17:01)

Ishii continued his run of incredible performances in the G1. They started slowly, but the last several minutes were full of ridiculously great action.

They had a very nice opening sequence, with SANADA doing flips and handsprings, and Ishii slipping out of the way of strikes at the last moment. Ishii wanted to turn it into a striking battle, but SANADA realized quickly that he could not match Ishii’s power, so he hit a dropkick, sending Ishii to the floor. SANADA hit a plancha, then sent Ishii back inside, and applied a chinlock.

Ishii almost went out from the chinlock, but reached the ropes. SANADA hit a series of strikes to the chest and neck, but Ishii dared him to hit more. Ishii walked right through a series of shots to the chest, and hit a second rope brainbuster, picking up a two count.

SANADA was able to rebound, and hit a frankensteiner and springboard dropkick. Ishii bounced to his feet and applied skull end, but SANADA slid out and hit Ishii’s sliding lariat. SANADA hit a moonsault into skull end, into a draping neckbreaker. SANADA hit a TKO for a nearfall.

They traded big suplexes, but both immediately got back to their feet. Ishii hit a huge lariat, a last ride for a nearfall, and a sliding lariat for another two count. Ishii escaped a DDT, but ran into a lariat.

SANADA applied skull end, as the crowd chanted for Ishii. Ishii escaped the hold once, but then appeared to pass out in the hold. SANADA went up top for a moonsault, but Ishii popped up. SANADA tweaked the knee on the landing, and Ishii hit a sliding lariat to the same knee. SANADA survived an onslaught of strikes, then hit a tiger suplex for a nearfall.

SANADA went for the Mutoh special, but Ishii escaped and hit a shining wizard. They did an incredible series of reversals, ending with Ishii hitting a pair of hard lariats, and getting a two count. Ishii then hit the vertical drop brainbuster, and got the pin.

B BLOCK MATCH: ZACK SABRE JR. DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO (18:18)

This was neither man’s smoothest work, but they had an excellent match.

Sabre was frustrated with Naito for stalling at the beginning. Naito hit his tranquilo pose, but Sabre grabbed his arm and tried to tie him up, then mocked the tranquilo pose. Naito hit a series of deep armdrags, but Sabre transitioned to a headscissors, then twisted Naito’s neck. Sabre applied a pair of submissions, but Naito slid out.

Naito went for the slingshot dropkick in the corner, but Sabre swept the legs and sent him to the floor. Sabre used a half crab into a headscissors, Naito slipped to a headscissors of his own, then Sabre slipped back to a half crab, then stepped on Naito’s head.

Naito hit an inverted DDT and a dropkick to the back. Naito hit a rana, then hit the slingshot dropkick in the corner. Naito hit an inverted atomic drop, a draping neckbreaker, and a standing neckbreaker, picking up a nearfall.

Sabre hit a pair of uppercuts, and caught a leg lariat and turned it into an STF. He transitioned to another hold, but Naito reached the ropes. Naito hit a pair of chops, and Sabre sold the cumulative damage of the match to his neck. Naito hit a hard back elbow to the neck, then a tornado DDT. He went for gloria, but Sabre turned it into a triangle choke. Naito bridged into a cover for a nearfall.

Sabre hit a PK and went for the Zack driver, but Naito reversed it into an inverted DDT, leading to a double down. Both men got to their feet at the same time, and they traded strikes. Naito hit a hard slap, and hit gloria for a two count. Sabre blocked a destino, then blocked a flying forearm, and applied an octopus hold. Sabre sold as though he was having grip issues with his hands due to the damage to his neck, and Naito was finally able to reach the ropes.

Sabre hit one PK, then another. He went for a third, but Naito caught it and hit a german. Naito hit a flying forearm, but Sabre used a european clutch for a two count. Sabre then used a cradle into a bridge for another two count. Sabre slipped to the octopus, but Naito slid out and hit destino. Naito went for a second destino, but Sabre reversed it into a Zack driver, and got the upset win.

B BLOCK MATCH: KOTA IBUSHI DEFEATED KENNY OMEGA (23:14) IBUSHI WINS THE B BLOCK

A fantastic main event. The emotion was incredible. The crowd was into every second of the match.

I don’t think this was the best match of the tournament, but I don’t mean that as a negative in any way, I’m just trying to give it a little bit of context within the framework of all the great wrestling we’ve seen over the last month.

They exchanged holds and dropdowns for the first minute, but Omega hit the first strike of the match, landing a chop. Ibushi kipped up after the chop, and sent Omega to the floor. He went for a plancha, but Omega moved, and Ibushi landed badly on the floor. Omega sent Ibushi into the barricade, then slammed him on the apron. He hit a kotaro crusher inside, but Isbushi popped up and hit a series of kicks to the back.

They traded standing strikes. Omega missed a charge into the corner, ate a powerslam, but got the knees up on the follow-up moonsault. Omega went for you can’t escape, but Ibushi got the knees up on the moonsault. They traded frankensteiners. Omega rolled to the floor. Ibushi went for the golden triangle, but Omega cut him off. Ibushi teased a german into the ring, but Omega reversed it into a spike package piledriver on the apron.

Omega hit a missile dropkick to a kneeling Ibushi, then hit Aoi Shoudou. He hit croyt’s wrath for a nearfall. Ibushi rolled to the floor, and Omega hit the terminator dive. Omega went up top, but Ibushi connected with a backflip kick. Ibushi hit a reverse frankensteiner off the top for a nearfall, and Omega rolled to the floor. Ibushi hit a golden triangle off the top to the floor.

Ibushi hit a standing moonsault into double knees for a nearfall, which looked brutal. Omega blocked a kamigoye, and hit a v-trigger, sending Ibushi face-first into the buckle. Omega hit another v-trigger to the back of the head, then placed Ibushi on the top turnbuckle.

Omega went for a top rope dragon suplex, but Ibushi landed on his feet. Omega hit a v-trigger, but Ibushi no-sold it, hit a kick, and a power lariat. Ibushi hit a last ride for a two count. He connected with a kamigoye, but Omega kicked out at two.

Ibushi pulled down his right knee pad. Omega got to his feet and they traded strikes, but Ibushi maintained wrist control. Ibushi hit a high kick, but gave up the wrist, and Omega hit a v-trigger. Ibushi no-sold and hit a combination, but Omega hit another v-trigger. Ibushi stumbled, but stepped forward and hit a huge strike.

Ibushi went for a phoenix splash, but missed. Omega hit another v-trigger, and hit a jay driller for a nearfall. Omega hit a v-trigger and lifted Ibushi for the one-winged angel, but Ibushi blocked it. He went for a reverse rana, but Omega stopped him, and spiked him on his head, and got a two count.

Omega hit a v-trigger, then teased a second rope one-winged angel, but Ibushi escaped, and with Omega seated on the top rope, hit a double footstomp to the back of the. Ibushi hit a top rope tiger driver for a nearfall, then followed up with another kamigoye.

Ibushi covered, and got the pin. He’ll face Tanahashi in the finals.

FINAL B BLOCK STANDINGS

Kota Ibushi 12 (block winner)
Kenny Omega 12
Zack Sabre Jr. 12
Tetsuya Naito 12
Tomohiro Ishii 10
SANADA 8
Hirooki Goto 6
Tama Tonga 6
Toru Yano 6
Juice Robinson 6

NJPW G1 Climax 28 night 17 live results: Okada vs. Tanahashi

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Bryan Rose

The A Block winds down tonight in the first of three New Japan shows in Budokan Hall, with the last two matches determining the first finalist for the upcoming G1 Climax finals on 8/12.

It boils down to three people: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada and Jay White. Tanahashi wins if he wins his main event match against Okada or if they go to a draw. Okada wins he beats Tanahashi and if EVIL wins his match against White or goes to a draw. White wins if he wins his match and Okada wins his match, or the main event ends in a double count out or disqualification.

Other matches that have no bearing on the finals tonight include Bad Luck Fale facing Minoru Suzuki, Hangman Page taking on YOSHI-HASHI and Michael Elgin taking on Togi Makabe.

Join us for live coverage starting at 5:30 a.m. EDT. There will be English commentary.

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Tomohiro Ishii and SHO defeated Toa Henare and Shota Umino

We’re at Budokan Hall, but we’re getting the same tags. Everyone looked good as usual, but just there as a match. SHO won with the deadlift German suplex, pinning Umino. Kind of a flat finish.

Guerillas of Destiny defeated Toru Yano and Gedo

Yano stalled a bit, not wanting to get near the Tongans. That may play into his B Block finals match against Tama Tonga. Same finish as usual: Gedo is isolated and after some back and forth with Tanga Loa, fell to a seated piledriver.

Hirooki Goto and YOH defeated Juice Robinson and David Finlay

A good match, pretty nice back and forth. Robinson and Goto are squaring off in their last B Block match tomorrow. Goto got the win here with the GTR on Finlay.

Tetsuya Naito and SANADA defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Taka Michinoku

This was a pretty good match. Sabre and Naito worked well together; they are in a key match tomorrow that Naito needs to win. SANADA picked up the win with the cold skull submission.

Sabre jumped Naito after the match, but Naito bailed to the outside and goaded Sabre into doing more.

The Elite went to a no contest with Kota Ibushi, Marty Scurll and Chase Owens

They spent a good part of the match not touching one another but being completely competitive against one another. This all built to a tag where Omega and Ibushi were in. But UH OH! The Tongans came out and ruined the match, attacking everyone. I think the idea is that they want you to think they could run in during Omega and Ibushi tomorrow.

Everyone was conciliary with one another once the Tongans made their way to the back, apologizing to the fans for what just happened.

Togi Makabe defeated Michael Elgin

They brawled early, landing stiff shots against one another. Elgin hit a giant chop to the corner that echoed throughout the arena. Elgin hit a really cool deadlift German suplex for a near fall.

Makabe starts some offense as the two trade blows, then trade German suplexes. Makabe hit a big lariat and took Elgin to the top rope. Elgin fought back, shoving Makabe and eventually landing a crucifix bomb. He next tries the Elgin bomb, but Makabe refuses to get up from the floor.

Makabe cuts off Elgin with a death valley driver, then connects with the king kong knee drop for the win. Really fun, heated match. Great back and forth, too.

YOSHI-HASHI defeated Hangman Page

Page controlled early after hitting the shooting star shoulder block on the outside. YH came back with the headhunter, then a second on the top rope. Page cut him off with a forearm, then after YH draped him on the top rope came back with the buckshot lariat.

Page follows with a giant neckbreaker off the top rope, but YH still kicks out. He continually fought out of the rite of passage then tried for karma but Page connected with a forearm. YH responded with a superkick then out of nowhere hit a giant Canadian destroyer for a nearfall. YOSHI-HASHI then connected with Karma for the win. A good match with a great ending.

Minoru Suzuki defeated Bad Luck Fale by DQ

Suzuki jumped Fale right as Fale was beating up the announcer. They crawled around the ring, Fale choking Suzuki with a cable wire. After briefly cutting him off inside the ring, Suzuki took Fale back to the outside and threw him against the guardrail. Suzuki then blasted him with a steel chair,.

The referee, deciding that maybe a chair might not be legal in a singles match, tried to take away the chair. Suzuki ignored him and instead continued to beat up Fale with the chair, throwing him into another barricade.

Fale cut off Suzuki with a samoan drop, then went for the grenade. Suzuki caught him in the armbar when Tanga Loa came in to beat him up. Fale went for a splash, but Suzuki kicked out. Fale goes for the bad luck fall. Suzuki counters with the sleeper, but Fale smashes him in the corner.

Suzuki was going for the Gotch piledriver when for the ten millionth time this show Tama Tonga came in and attacked, laying out Suzuki with the gun stun for the DQ. Ok brawl until the finish. I assume there’s going to be a payoff to all this, but it’s going to come at the expense of the New Japan referees becoming some of the dumbest referees in existence.

EVIL defeated Jay White

White laid out EVIL from the ring to the floor with a big Saito suplex, then suplexed him twice into the barricade in from of the English announce team, which is a spot he’s been doing the entire tour. EVIL eventually manages to cut him off and build some offense.

White cuts him off with a complete shot STO. He tried for the blade runner, but as the referee was huddled in the corner after a near miss White low blowed him. EVIL managed to connect with the darkness falls. He follows that with a big lariat.

EVIL goes for the Everything is Evil but White cuts him off with a necktie suplex, then follows with the kiwi crusher. EVIL cuts him off and grabs a steel chair, but as the referee takes it away White launches him off his feet with a half nelson suplex. Another ref bump. White looks to use the chair, but in mid motion EVIL hits the STO and pins White. Pretty good match, more drama because of the G1 implications.

That eliminates Jay White from the tournament. The winner of the next match will win the A Block.

Hiroshi Tanahashi drew with Kazuchika Okada

Okada starts off with a big shotgun dropkick, but Tanahashi keeps it slow, grinding him down, focusing on a knee. He slams it against the ring post twice. Okada then works over Tanahashi’s knee, taking him the outside where slams it on the mat. Taking Okada back to the ring, he then lands a running dropkick to Tanahashi’s knee at the ten minute mark.

Tanahashi connects with the senton but Okada dodges the slingblade and takes down Tanahashi. Okada hits a running dropkick, then another from the top rope. Okada goes for the tombstone, but Tanahashi reverses and actually lands one of his own.

Okada is on the apron as Tanahashi landed a giant dropkick that sent Okada clear into the barricade. Tanahashi followed with a huge high fly flow to the floor. At the twenty minute mark, Tanahashi sunk in the cloverleaf and actually managed to transition into a Styles Clash. Okada rolled out of the way after a high fly flow attempt, however.

Okada nailed a dropkick, then hit another. He went for the rainmaker, but Tanahashi connected with the sling blade. He tried for the tombstone again, but Okada wouldn’t budge. Okada reversed it, or at least tried to, but Tanahashi hit the twist and shout neckbreaker at the 25 minute mark.

Tanahashi hit another slingblade and went for the high fly flow again, but this time Okada hit a dropkick, then hit the tombstone. Okada tried the rainmaker but Tanahashi dodged it three times until a twisting rainmaker landed. He went for another, but Tanahashi countered with a cradle. Another rainmaker attempt, but Tanahashi connected with a dragon suplex.

With one minute left, Okada struggled to get into the rainmaker position again. He went for it, but Tanahashi slapped him. Tanahashi went to the top rope and hit the high fly flow, but Okada kicked out. Time ran out right after that. Awesome, well paced New Japan main event. Not one of their best matches (there have been so many great ones) but this is still an excellent match with some fantastic drama.

With the draw, Tanahashi reaches 15 points, giving him the A Block and a spot in the finals.

Tanahashi cut a simple promo, promising to win the G1 finals. He then posed and met with people at ringside to close out the show.

Final standings for A Block:

Hiroshi Tanahashi – 15
Kazuchika Okada – 13
Jay White – 12
Minoru Suzuki – 10
EVIL – 10
Michael Elgin – 6
Bad Luck Fale – 6
Hangman Page – 6
Togi Makabe – 6
YOSHI-HASHI – 6

NJPW G1 Climax 28 night 13 live results: Okada vs. Suzuki

Posted on August 2, 2018 by Bryan Rose

A killer rematch from last year’s G1 headlines tonight’s A Block action in Fukuoka.

Kazuchika Okada and Minoru Suzuki have faced each other three times in the last year, with tonight being their fourth. So far, Okada is ahead with one win, while the other two, including the match earlier this summer at Suzuki’s 30th anniversary show, went to a draw. Tonight, Suzuki looks to score that win that has eluded him over the last decade.

We have four other matches set for tonight as well. Hiroshi Tanahashi will clash with EVIL, Jay White will look to battle fellow CHAOS member YOSHI-HASHI (who has not approved of White’s actions as of late), Togi Makabe will battle Hangman Page and Bad Luck Fale (and probably the best of the new Bullet Club faction) will face Michael Elgin.

Join us for live coverage tonight at 5:30 EST. There will be English commentary.

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Toru Yano and Gedo defeated Toa Henare and Ren Narita

The thirteenth night starts like the other 12 nights: Henare loses, young boy gets pinned, guy in the G1 gets his win. In this case, it was Yano, took down Narita with an amateur wrestling takedown for the win.

Guerillas of Destiny defeated Hirooki Goto and YOH

I liked this a bit. Basically a match where the heels worked on YOH for a majority of the match until Goto came in with the hot tag. It’s him and Tama Tonga next. Loa eventually cut off YOH and pinned him with the sitout piledriver.

Juice Robinson and David Finlay defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Taka Michinoku

This was also fun. I like the exchanged between Robinson and Sabre; that should be a good match. Finlay and Michinoku had a fun exchange before Finlay laid him out with the stunner for the win.

Sabre jumped Robinson after the match, clipping his leg, perhaps for future use.

Tomohiro Ishii and SHO defeated Kenny Omega and Chase Owens

Another fun tag. Ibushi/Omega is going to be something, that’s for sure. Omega accidently superkicked Owens, which led to Owens being pinned after a backstabber/brainbuster combination.

Tetsuya Naito and SANADA defeated Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi

Some good stuff here as well. Naito worked both against his future opponent Ibushi and his former tag team partner Yujiro. SANADA submitted Yujiro with the skull end.

Naito invited Ibushi to the ring after the match, but Ibushi responded by throwing ice at him.

A Block:

Michael Elgin defeated Bad Luck Fale by DQ

The two struck one another in the ring. Outside, Fale targets Elgin’s bicep, which was torn during this tour. Fale had a nerve hold on. Elgin started to make a comeback, but had trouble lifting Fale due to his injury. He tried several lariats, and managed to take him down for a two count.

Elgin had Fale in the Elgin bomb position but, oh no, Tanga Loa came in. Elgin dispatched him and body slammed Fale. He went to the top rope, but oh dear, Tama Tonga came in with a chair and pelted Elgin with chair shots right in front of the referee for the DQ. Plodding match, usual bad finish.

The mean heels blasted Elgin in the bicep with another chair shot, then Tonga beat everyone in his path with chair shots. Everyone booed.

Hangman Page defeated Togi Makabe

This starts off hot when Page hits a big suicide dive on the outside. Back in the ring, Page actually deadlifted Makabe then slammed him back on the ring and covered for a near fall. Makabe mounted Page with some punches in the corner, but Page continued until Makabe clocked him with a lariat.

Makabe connected with a lariat to the back of the head and went for the Spider German. Hangman blocked it, but Makabe connected with a belly to belly. He went for the king kong knee drop instead, but Hangman rolled out of the way.

Page connected with a superkick but Makabe connected with a lariat. Makabe hit the ropes but Page fired with a buckshot lariat then hit the rite of passage for the win. Very cool, quick finish to a good match.

Jay White defeated YOSHI-HASHI

They take it to the outside where White repeatedly slams him into the barricade and apron continuously. He continued his assault in the ring, including introducing a chair. He went for the blade runner, but YOSHI-HASHI countered with a roll up for a close two count.

YOSHI-HASHI gets nailed while he was at the top rope and somehow is shoved into the referee once he’s back on his feet. White low blows him but YOSHI-HASHI avoided the blade runner again and connects with a back cracker and a fisherman’s buster. He went for karma, but White landed on his feet and hit the blade runner for the win. I dunno, this was fine I guess. Not bad, but felt a bit short.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated EVIL

After a bit of back and forth, EVIL gets the upper hand by focusing on Tanahashi’s injured bicep. You know, the one he’s had forever and hasn’t fixed yet. Eesh.

They brawl in and around the ring. Tanahashi tries to get some momentum building, but EVIL cuts him down each time. Tanahashi escaped from the darkness falls but EVIL cut him off once again. He signaled for the Everything is Evil, but Tanahashi countered with a roll up. He finally starts to build momentum with the sling blade. Tanahashi hit the high fly flow but missed a second.

Tanahashi favored his injured arm on impact. EVIL hit the darkness falls and connects with a big lariat but isn’t able to get the job done. EVIL went for his finish again but Tanahashi kept blocking it until he actually hit it himself. Tanahashi then hit the high fly flow for the win. Another good match with a nice finish.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Minrou Suzuki

Suzuki jumped Okada as soon as he entered the ring, taking him into the crowd and destroying him with chair shots and guardrails. Suzuki even went after Red Shoes, who defended himself with a chair. Okada jumped Suzuki while distracted but Suzuki ended up throwing him into some chairs.

Suzuki hit him with another chair as the referee started to count out Okada, but he made it in at 19. He continues to dominate. When Okada tried to build some momentum, Suzuki took him back down with an armbar and started to work on both arms.

They start trading hard shots with one another. Suzuki gets the better of it with a palm strike, but Okada cuts him off and connects with the dropkick. Suzuki grabs Okada’s head, Okada lifts up Suzuki but he traps him in a sleeper, then the octopus stretch. Okada somehow manages to connect with a tombstone.

Okada teases the Gotch piledriver. Suzuki reverses, but Okada counters back with a cradle tombstone. Okada hits the rolling rainmaker, then another for the win. A very good main event, easily the best match of the night with great heat and some really good action, though these two have had better matches in the past.

Okada closed out the show with a promo saying he needs to win his last few matches, and that he’s got it in his hands.

A Block standings:
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 12
Jay White – 10
Kazuchika Okada – 10
EVIL – 8
Minoru Suzuki – 8
Michael Elgin – 6
Bad Luck Fale – 6
Togi Makabe – 4
Hangman Page – 4
YOSHI-HASHI – 2

NJPW G1 Climax 28 night 11 live results: Okada vs. Elgin

Posted on July 30, 2018 by Bryan Rose

More A Block action takes place this morning in Kagawa as the 28th G1 Climax heads into its eleventh day of action.

Kazuchika Okada will headline tonight’s show, this time squaring off against Michael Elgin, who is still fresh off a NEVER title loss. It took a while for Okada to get going, but lately he’s been building momentum with some big wins. While Okada looks to continue his streak of victories, Elgin’s abilities, however, could very well earn him a surprise win and stall Okada’s momentum.

Other bouts set for tonight include Hiroshi Tanahashi taking on YOSHI-HASHI, EVIL squaring off against Minoru Suzuki, Jay White taking on Hangman Page in a rematch from Strong Style Evolved back in March and Togi Makabe vs. Bad Luck Fale.

Join us for live coverage this morning starting at 6:00 a.m. EST. There will be English commentary, with Rocky Romero and Kevin Kelly calling the action.

**********

Juice Robinson and David Finlay Toa Henare and Shota Umino

A typical opener. David Finlay picked up the win after landing the stunner on Umino. Get those C block points, I guess.

Guerillas of Destiny defeated Tomohiro Ishii and SHO

This was to hype the upcoming Ishii/Tama Tonga match. I will tell you guys one thing: if Ishii can get a great match out of this angle, I’ll vote him for Wrestler of the Year. Loa got the win, planting SHO with a sitout piledriver.

Tetsuya Natio and SANADA defeated Toru Yano and Gedo

Toru Yano and Tetsuya Naito are going at it next. Yano teased some of his tricks, including undoing the turnbuckle pad. SANADA scored the win, submitting Gedo with the cold skull. Naito tried to go to the back after the match with the turnbuckle.

Kenny Omega and Chase Owens defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Taka Michinoku

Usual tag team bout. Surprisingly, Owens and Sabre didn’t go after each other much, only briefly. Owens got the win with the package piledriver on Michinoku.

Sabre jumped Omega after the match, latching on a guillotine. Omega escaped, but Sabre’s intentions were made clear.

Kota Ibushi and Yujiro Takahashi defeated Hirooki Goto and YOH

Another standard tag team match. Ibushi/Goto moments looked really good, though! Ibushi cut off YOH with a springboard dropkick, then Yujiro followed with the pimp juice DDT for the win.

Bad Luck Fale defeated Togi Makabe

Tanga Loa didn’t really waste time interfering, taking Makabe out of the ring. Fale threw him into some empty chairs in the crowd. Back in the ring, they have some pretty decent back and forth, both scoring some near falls.

Makabe blocks the grenade and sends Fale to the floor with two lariats. Loa pulls out the referee. He distracts Makabe on the top rope long enough for Fale to throw him to the ground. He takes Makabe’s chain, wraps it around his fist and strikes Makabe with it for the win. Well, at least that’s a new finish. Next.

Jay White defeated Hangman Page

Hangman took out White early with a suicide dive. White soon counters with a back suplex. White takes it back to the ring, but Page counters with a clothesline. Page actually does a really cool deadlift into a bridging pin for a near fall.

White gains control and tries to suplex Page to the floor, but he makes it on the apron. Page tries for the buckshot lariat, but hurt his back when deadlifting White. White takes full advantage momentarily before Page fires back with a lariat.

White drops Page face first on the apron. He tries to take Page to the top rope and drop him back first to the floor, but Page fights back and lands a giant moonsault that wipes them both out. Page goes for another moonsault, this time in the ring, but White shoves the referee, then shoves a distracted Page to the floor.

There was actually a clever spot where White took out two chairs, and when the referee took away one, blasted Page with another. The referee sees the other chair and takes it away. White goes to grab Paige by the leg, but like the old Eddie Guerrero trick, slides his boot off. White tries to go for his finish but Page breaks free. White low blows Page when the referee isn’t looking and hits the bladerunner for the win.

Okay match, lame finish. Not as good as their match from a few months ago. Kind of a dissapointment, all things considered.

Minoru Suzuki defeated EVIL

Suzuki immediately jumped EVIL as he brawled with him in and out of of the ring. He took EVIL inside the crowd where he pelted him with steel chair shots. EVIL beat a twenty count and started to fire back with some lariats.

Suzuki cut him off, landed a penalty kick and, after EVIL fought it for a bit, took him down with an armbar. EVIL bailed to the outside, but Suzuki fired back by wrapping EVIL’s arm in a post and slamming it with a chair. EVIL fought back, using a chair to strike Suzuki (while his head was wrapped in another chair). In the ring, the two trade forearms until EVIL takes him out with a rolling elbow.

EVIL has the advantage, but Suzuki cuts him off with the sleeper. EVIL tries to counter with the Everything is Evil, but Suzuki puts the sleeper back on. He then finishes off EVIL with the Gotch piledriver for the win. A decent match, but never felt like it went to the next level. Just kind of there most of the time.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated YOSHI-HASHI

Tanahashi dominates the match early, out wrestling YH. He misses an elbow, alling YH to get an opening. YH counters, throwing Tanahashi out of the ring. He tries to skin the cat back in, but YH cuts him off with a dropkick.

Tanahashi cuts him off and continues to dominate until YH strikes with an enziguri and a running powerbomb. He connects with the swanton bomb. When Tanahashi tries to fire back, YH strikes with a lariat then what looked like a fisherman’s buster into a side slam.

YOSHI-HASHI tries to follow with karma. Tanahashi rolls out of the way, then with YH still holding his hand lays him out with the sling blade. He goes for the high fly flow, but YH rolls out of the way just in time. A sliding meteora follows, then tries for the butterfly lock but Tanahashi counters with a crucifix bridging pin for the win out of nowhere. A great finish to a fun match.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Michael Elgin

They trade offense early. Okada goes for the rainmaker, but Elgin counters with a powerbomb attempt. Elgin deadlifts Okada into a suplex, sending Okada out of the ring. They brawl on the outside where Okada blasts Elgin with a big boot over the guardrail, then drills him with a draping DDT.

Okada continues in the ring, grinding Elgin down. Elgin fires back with a powerslam. He takes Okada to the top rope, but fights him off. Okada jumps off, but Elgin grabs him and carries him up to the middle rope. Okada cuts him off, but Elgin plants him and goes for a top rope splash. Okada dodges, causing Elgin to crash face first on the mat.

Okada takes Elgin to the top rope and tries to dropkick him to the floor, but Elgin cuts him off and hits a big superplex. Elgin connects with a buckle bomb and some elbow shots, but Okada fires back. He tries to go for his dropkick, but Elgin cuts him off, only to eventually eat the dropkick anyway.

Elgin avoids the rainmaker and connects with a lariat, then another. Elgin connects with another buckle bomb, but Okada somehow manages to roll up Elgin for a near fall. Elgin takes Okada to the top rope again. Elgin tries for what looks like a splash mountain bomb off the top rope, but Okada counters with an arm drag. The two trade offense until Elgin catches him with a powerbomb, then hits the splash mountain bomb for a near fall.

Elgin tries for the burning hammer, but Okada falls to the floor and tries for the tombstone. They trade transitions until Okada finally hits the tombstone. He hits a rolling rainmaker, then his standard rainmaker and pulls off the win. A great main event, exactly what you would want between these two.

A Block Rankings:

Hiroshi Tanahashi – 10
EVIL – 8
Kazuchika Okada – 8
Minoru Suzuki – 8
Jay White – 8
Bad Luck Fale – 6
Michael Elgin – 4
Togi Makabe – 4
Hangman Page – 2
YOSHI-HASHI – 2

NJPW G1 Climax 28 night one live results: Okada vs. Jay White

Posted on July 14, 2018 by Ethan Renner

Tonight marks the beginning of the twenty eighth Grade One Climax tournament.

We’re kicking things off with a bang in the A block with five big matches. Kazuchika Okada, who will be in one of his first high profile matches since losing the IWGP title to Kenny Omega last month, will square off against fellow CHAOS member Jay White. The latest addition to CHAOS has a chip on his shoulder, especially after losing the IWGP United States title to Juice Robinson. He should have no problem bringing it to the former world champion despite being stablemates.

Another high profile match tonight pits Hiroshi Tanahashi against Minoru Suzuki, who have had some genuine classics in the past. We also might get an answer from Bad Luck Fale, as he challenges one of the Bullet Club members who were taken out last week by the Firing Squad, Hangman Page. Other matches for tonight include Michael Elgin vs. EVIL and Togi Makabe vs. YOSHI-HASHI.

Join us for live coverage starting at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time. There will be English commentary.

**********

JADO & HIROOKI GOTO DEFEATED REN NARITA & TOA HENARE

This was your standard opening match on a tournament show, maybe slightly below the usual quality level.

Jado and Henare started out. Jado used some chops and a knee lift to send Henare into the corner, but Henare fought back with a series of headbutts. Narita tagged in, while Goto and Henare brawled on the floor.

Jado and Goto double teamed Narita, but Narita hit Goto with a dropkick, and tagged Henare back in. Henare hit a shoulder block on Goto and knocked Jado off the apron. Narita and Henare worked over Goto, and made a cover, but Jado made the save.

Goto went for ushigoroshi, but Narita slipped out. While Jado and Henare brawled to the floor, Goto hit an ushigoroshi on his second attempt, and pinned Narita.

SHO & TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED YOH & TORU YANO

An interesting matchup here, with CHAOS stablemates. This went about ten minutes, and was a solid, all-action bout.

SHO and YOH were in first. They started with some chain wrestling, and a clean break. SHO hit a dropkick, and tagged in Ishii. Ishii lit up YOH with chops, and no-sold YOH’s counter strikes. Ishii ducked a dropkick, but YOH hit a dragon screw and tagged Yano.

Yano removed the corner pad, but Ishii reversed and whipped him into the exposed buckle. Yano came back with an inverted atomic drop, and sent Ishii into the buckle with a slingshot. Yano hit a brainbuster, and tagged YOH.

YOH hit a footstomp on Ishii, and SHO jumped in to make the save for Ishii. YOH hit a knee lift and a neckbreaker, but SHO cut him off with a german and a backstabber. Ishii hit YOH with the vertical brainbuster, and got the pin.

TAMA TONGA & TANGA LOA DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON & DAVID FINLAY

This was quick, and mostly served just to give a little context to Juice and Tonga’s match tomorrow.

Loa and Finlay started the match. Loa used a simple, power-based attack to work over Finlay, before tagging in Tonga. Tonga hit a dropkick, then tagged in Loa, as they methodically beat down Finlay.

Finlay hit a suplex on Tonga, and made the tag to Juice. Juice ran wild on Loa, but Tonga cut him off. The match broke down as all four guys jumped in. While juice and Loa went to the floor, Finlay went to the second rope. Tonga caught him coming off with a gun stun, and got the pin.

TAKA MICHINOKU & ZACK SABRE JR. DEFEATED YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & KOTA IBUSHI

They had a nice match, but Ibushi and Sabre really need more time to build their matches, and this was not the time or place for that.

Sabre and Ibushi started with some chain wrestling. Sabre pie-faced Ibushi after a clean break, then ducked a spinning kick from Ibushi and rolled to the floor. Back inside, they worked a knuckle lock. Sabre hit a bridging suplex without breaking the hold, and Ibushi hit a monkey flip, again, not breaking the hold. Both bridged out simultaneously, which was a cool spot.

Ibushi got the best of a striking battle, before tagging Takahashi. Michinoku tagged in and hit some strikes, before tagging Sabre back in. Ibushi hit TAKA with a dropkick off the top, then a plancha to the floor, leaving Sabre and Yujiro in the ring.

Sabre used an octopus, then hit a Michinoku Driver for the pin.

TETSUYA NAITO & SANADA DEFEATED CHASE OWENS & KENNY OMEGA

This was very good, and laid the foundation for tomorrow’s Omega vs. Naito main event.

Naito and Omega had an intense staredown, allowing their partners to jump in and attack. SANADA sent Owens and Omega to the floor, then hit a plancha. Naito briefly worked on Omega inside, but Owens tripped him from the floor, allowing Omega to take over.

Omega used a suplex and a series of clotheslines, then tagged in Owens. Owens tried to apply the paradise lock on Naito, but got confused as to how to apply it, allowing Naito to attack. SANADA tied up Owens with the paradise lock, while Omega hit a frankensteiner.

Naito and Omega brawled to the floor, while SANADA hit skull end on Owens, and got the tapout.

A BLOCK MATCH: TOGI MAKABE DEFEATED YOSHI-HASHI

This was better than it had any right to be, and both guys did an excellent job selling the intensity and importance of the tournament.

They traded forearm shots at the opening bell. YOSHI-HASHI sent Makeabe to the floor after a corner clothesline, then sent Makabe into the barricade twice, the idea being that this is a new, more ruthless YOSHI-HASHI.

YOSHI-HASHI hit a brainbuster for a nearfall, then went back on the attack with strikes. Makabe made a comeback, hitting a chop and a powerslam. He hit a corner clothesline, and a northern lights suplex for a nearfall. They traded strikes, before Makabe hit a lariat, leading to a double down.

Makabe teased a top rope german, but YOSHI-HASHI escaped and hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. He followed with a lariat and a meteora for a nearfall. He went for the butterfly lock, but Makabe slid out. YOSHI-HASHI applied it a second time, and Makabe just reached the ropes.

YOSHI-HASHI hit a headhunter off the top for a nearfall. He went for karma, but Makabe escaped. He hit a lariat and a german, but YOSHI-HASHI stood out of the suplex. They hit simultaneous forearms to the chest, but Makabe got the best of the exchange.

Makabe placed YOSHI-HASHI on the top rope, then hit a spider german. He followed with a king kong kneedrop off the top, and picked up the pinfall.

A BLOCK MATCH: HANGMAN PAGE DEFEATED BAD LUCK FALE BY DQ

They had one of the better Fale matches you will ever see, but the match was just a backdrop for the Bullet Club vs. Firing Squad storyline.

Fale jumped Page at the opening bell, and sent him to the floor. Page made a quick recovery and hit a suicide dive, but Fale was intent on making this a brawl, and sent Page into the crowd. Fale continued the beatdown inside, until Page made a comeback. He hit Fale with strikes and a sunset flip, then side-stepped an elbow drop and hit a standing shooting star.

Tanga Loa came down to ringside, which served to distract Page, allowing Fale to regain control. Fale hit a splash. He went for an avalanche, but Page ducked him, and clotheslined him to the floor. Page teased a dive, but Loa grabbed his foot. Page hit Loa, then hit a moonsault off the top to the floor, wiping out both Fale and Loa.

Back inside, Page hit a slinghsot lariat for a nearfall. He went for the rite of passage, but Tama Tonga ran in and nailed Page. Fale, Loa and Tonga beat down Page, and the referee called for the bell and the DQ.

The Firing Squad teased choking Page with the noose from his entrance gear, but Omega and Ibushi ran in to make the save.

A BLOCK MATCH: MICHAEL ELGIN DEFEATED EVIL

They had a very good, hard-hitting match.

They traded chops and brawled to the floor. Elgin sent EVIL into the barricade, but Elgin missed a clothesline and hit the post. EVIL placed his arm in a chair, then Pillmanized it against the post. Back inside, EVIL continued working on the right arm, and hit a standing senton for a nearfall.

Elgin made a comeback, and used the right arm in his attack, selling after every strike. Elgin hit a suicide dive and a slingshot foot stomp, then hit a delayed bridging german for a nearfall. Elgin hit a series of forearm shots, and a running clothesline into the corner. He went for a press slam, but EVIL hit slid out and hit a superkick.

EVIL hit a bulldog, then applied an armbar, but Elgin rolled out. He hit a pump kick, but EVIL went back to work on the arm. He clotheslined it over the top rope, then jumped off the apron and and rammed the arm over the barricade.

Back inside, EVIL hit a seated senton. They hit a pair of simultaneous lariats, then EVIL hit darkness falls for a nearfall. He went for everything is evil, but Elgin slipped out and hit a falcon arrow, leading to a double down.

They traded lariats. EVIL went for the STO, but Elgin hit a superkick. EVIL countered with a huge german, but Elgin hit a rebound lariat. Elgin hit a superplex for a nearfall. Elgin hit a buckle bomb, and after a series of reversals, hit a razor’s edge, and an Elgin bomb, and got the pin.

A BLOCK MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI

This was excellent. Suzuki looked like a killer, but Tanahashi caught him with a dragon screw late, and did just enough to get the win.

They had a brief striking battle, before Suzuki went after Tana’s bad right knee. He used a low dropkick and a heel hook. Tana fought to reach the bottom rope, but Suzuki rolled out and maintained the hold back in the center of the ring. Suzuki transitioned to an ankle lock, before going back to the heel hook. Suzuki briefly tied up the right arm with a kimura, then switched to a kneebar, then to an STF, then back to a kneebar, before Tana finally reached the ropes.

Suzuki continued to attack the right leg with kicks, until Tana hit a dragon screw, and followed up with a dropkick in the corner. He hit a flying forearm, but missed a senton off the second rope, allowing Suzuki to hit a penalty kick. Suzuki went back to the heel hook, then applied a figure four, until Tana reached the ropes, forcing a break.

Suzuki hit a series of slaps to the face, then applied a rear naked choke. He went for the Gotch, but gave it up after Tana put up a fight. Tana executed a cradle for a nearfall, then used a crucifix to pick up another. He hit a dragon screw and sling blade for a nearfall, as Suzuki sold the damage from the dragon screw.

Tana went to the top and hit two high fly flows, and got the pin.

A BLOCK MATCH: SWITCHBLADE JAY WHITE DEFEATED KAZUCHIKA OKADA

They had a very good match, but it was hurt by the lack of heat, and all the shenanigans at the finish.

White offered a handshake. Okada reluctantly accepted, but White tried to turn it into a blade runner. Okada countered and went for the rainmaker, but White slipped out. White hit a series of chops, but Okada used a headlock takeover. He dropped White off the top rope after holding a headlock to the count of four, then sent White to the floor.

Okada sent White over the barricade and teased a running dropkick over the railing, but White walked away before Okada went for it. Okada hit a pump kick, and continued to punk out White on the floor, but White countered, and hit a snap suplex on the floor. White continued the assault, repeatedly sending Okada into the barricade and the ring frame.

Back inside, White hit a suplex into the corner, which didn’t look fun for Okada’s neck. White tried to smother Okada with the ring skirt, then used a headlock. White hit a pair of kicks and a pumphandle backbreaker for a nearfall. White used a last chancery, until Okada reached the ropes, forcing a break.

Okada made a comeback, hitting a series of hard forearm shots and a DDT. Okada kipped up, and hit the running back elbow. He followed up with a flapjack for a nearfall, then hit a crossbody off the top, while shouting “Scooby Dooby Doo.”

White came back and hit a snap suplex, and a pair of rolling underhook suplexes. He hit a vertical suplex and went for blade runner, but Okada slapped on the cobra clutch, which continues to get a poor crowd response. White slipped out and applied a head and arm submission, but Okada reached the ropes, before hitting a neckbreaker, which led to a double down.

Okada hit a huge shotgun dropkick, sending White into the corner. Okada hit a scoop slam, and the top rope elbow drop. Okada did the rainmaker pose, but White dropped him and hit a bridging suplex for a nearfall.

They exchanged chops and uppercuts in the center of the ring, before White hit a lariat for a nearfall. White hit a series of strikes, then sent Okada over the top to the floor with a suplex. White hit a snap suplex into the barricade, right in front of the announce table, playing off the spot where Jim Ross got hurt last week at the Cow Palace.

White sent Okada inside, then grabbed a chair. He shoved Red Shoes down and swung the chair at Okada, but Okada ducked, and dropkicked the chair into White’s face. Okada hit a second dropkick. As Okada hit the rainmaker, White hit Red Shoes with a backfist, knocking him out.

With the referee down, White hit a low blow. At the 25 minute mark, White hit a chair shot to the head, then hit blade runner as Red Shoes recovered, then picked up the pinfall.

White cut a promo after the match, and declared that CHAOS was now his, and ran down Okada.

A BLOCK STANDINGS

Switchblade Jay White 2

Hiroshi Tanahashi 2

Michael Elgin 2

Hangman Page 2

Togi Makabe 2

Kazuchika Okada 0

Minoru Suzuki 0

EVIL 0

Bad Luck Fale 0

YOSHI-HASHI 0

A beginner’s guide to the 2018 NJPW G1 Climax

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Bryan Rose

With the first G1 Climax 2018 card set to start early Saturday morning, anticipation is mounting for New Japan fans who expect nothing more than some of the best wrestling they’ll see all year.

This article aims to serve as a primer for this year’s tournament, and will get you ready for what is going on for the next month or so in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Be sure to check out written reports over the next few weeks for the latest scores, as well as coverage on our various radio programs.

Also be sure to check out Adam & Mike’s Big Audio Nightmare, which has an audio rundown of this year’s tournament along with predictions!

History and how to watch —

What is the G1? What does G1 stand for?

The Grade 1 Climax tournament is held every year with a varying number of wrestlers competing to win, usually around 20.

Each wrestler is put in one of two blocks and must wrestle everyone in that block. The two people with the most points in their respective blocks will face off in the finals to determine the winner of the tournament.

When does it start, or end for that matter? Just how many shows are there?

This year’s G1 starts on July 14 at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time, with the final show airing on August 12 at 5:00 a.m. ET (for other time zones, check here for a time conversion). Altogether, there will be 19 total shows airing throughout July and August.

Will there be English commentary?

Yes. For the first time ever, all 19 events will have English commentary by Kevin Kelly, with Don Callis joining in occasionally.

Additionally, the big bouts on these shows will be covered in the near future on NJPW’s AXS TV time slot, with Jim Ross and Josh Barnett on commentary.

I’ve heard about New Japan World but have no idea how to use it. How do I sign up for it and how do I navigate the site?

Well, first off, going to the site helps wonders!

On the top of the site, you’ll see an option to select a language. Pick English, then go back to the top and you’ll be able to see a place where you can login or sign up. Click on the latter.

From here, it should be relatively straightforward. Fill in the information and your preferred billing method and you should be fine from there. NJPW World accepts most credit cards and PayPal as payment options.

If you’re still having trouble, hit me up on Twitter and we can try to sort things out.

These shows are VERY early in the morning. When do these pop up on demand?

Shortly after the show ends. If not, they will more than likely be posted later that day.

Wait, so are people going to wrestle on all 19 of these shows?

Like it has been for the past few years, these shows won’t exclusively feature block matches. For each event until the finals, there will be five tournament matches (with the blocks rotating each show) on a card. The rest of the card will mostly consist of multi-man tag team matches that will be designed to hype up the next series of tournament bouts.

How are points in this tournament determined?

Whoever wins a match is given two points. If a match ends in a draw, it’s one point each. A loss gets you zero points.

Say that at the end of a tournament two guys in the same block are tied for the most points. What happens then?

Whoever won the match between the two earlier in the tournament gets the tiebreaker and advances to the finals.

What does the tournament winner get?

They will receive a briefcase, which inside will have an IWGP Heavyweight Championship match contract for the Wrestle Kingdom Tokyo Dome show on January 4. Winners tend to defend the briefcase a couple of times, usually against people that beat them during the tournament.

So if the winner gets an IWGP title shot, why is the IWGP Heavyweight Champion in the tournament?

It’s the norm for the champion at the time to compete in the G1. Any losses the champion might receive during the tournament can very well set up future title matches. But, if they win, it clearly demonstrates how dominant they are as champion.

An IWGP Heavyweight Champion doesn’t often win the tournament, but it has happened in the past. Kensuke Sasaki and Keiji Mutoh have both won while holding the title.

Who has won the most G1 tournaments?

Masahiro Chono, also known as “Mr. August,” has won the tournament on five different occasions since its inception in 1991.

Ok, so to put it bluntly, what makes the G1 so special?

It’s one of the best tournaments you’ll see all year. Everyone always has their working boots on, going to the limit in what they can do. For the younger guys, the goal is to prove they can hang with the more established members of the NJPW roster. The same thing goes for the older generation who don’t get the big title shots anymore but can still prove their value by competing on a big stage.

The tournament also features big matches you won’t see anywhere else in New Japan all year. Stablemates go up against one another, like SANADA vs. Tetsuya Naito or Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White. We’ll also see rematches of classic bouts, like Kenny Omega vs. Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Okada.

The G1 has continually built up its prestige over the last few years as one of the premier tournaments in pro wrestling. That doesn’t automatically mean that this will be a great tournament, but enough goodwill has been established for it to be very promising.

Give me a rundown of this year’s brackets.

Sure!

A Block participants —

Togi Makabe: He’s seen better days, but Makabe is still a great brawler and is arguably one of the more popular members of the NJPW roster. Expect stiff bouts against the likes of Michael Elgin, Bad Luck Fale, and Minoru Suzuki.
Michael Elgin: Elgin is still reeling after having a short run as NEVER Openweight Champion. A good effort in the G1 could go pretty far for him.
Hiroshi Tanahashi: Still calling himself the ace of New Japan, this is the time of the year Tanahashi shines the brightest. Expect nothing but greatness from someone who is still one of the best in professional wrestling today,
Kazuchika Okada: Coming off one of the most impressive title runs in pro wrestling history, Okada is at a crossroads. This tournament represents the next stage of his career, and where he’ll go from here will be based on his performance. A lot is on the line for him.
Jay White: Still trying to find his way in CHAOS, White isn’t too happy after losing the IWGP United States Heavyweight title to Juice Robinson at the G1 Special in San Francisco. He looks to make up for it by going far in his first-ever G1 Climax tournament.
YOSHI-HASHI: Perhaps the most underrated member of CHAOS, YOSHI-HASHI has a chance to prove himself against the likes of fellow stablemates White and Okada. He has some big tasks ahead of him, but you never know when he’ll pick up a win.
Bad Luck Fale: There are a lot of questions regarding Fale in this year’s G1 tournament. Tama Tonga has said that he’s part of the new Firing Squad faction within the Bullet Club. How will he react when he faces Hangman Page? He always does well early on, so expect him to start racking up wins quickly.
Hangman Page: Although he is currently battling his own inner self over the supposed “death” of Joey Ryan on Being the Elite, Page has a real shot at standing out in his first G1 Climax. This is his proving ground.
EVIL: Having just lost the IWGP Tag Team titles, EVIL looks to gain some momentum by competing in this year’s tournament. His match with Okada will be one to watch if their feud last year was an indication of anything.
Minoru Suzuki: Leader of Suzuki-gun and fresh off his 30th anniversary show, Suzuki looks to cement his legacy by winning the G1 Climax tournament for the first time.

B Block participants —

Kenny Omega: The IWGP Heavyweight Champion looks to continue his insane amount of momentum by picking up another accolade: winning the G1 for a second time. What will it be like when he and Ibushi square off for the first time in years? Fans (and the entire internet) will wait with baited breath when these two clash.
Tetsuya Naito: The leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, Naito looks to gain ground after losing the IWGP Intercontinental title to Chris Jericho. His bout against fellow teammate SANADA will be one to watch.
Kota Ibushi: The other half of the Golden Lovers, Ibushi loves to follow the beat of his own drum. That usually results in some just plain crazy high spots, including jumping off balconies. But potential matches with the likes of Tomohiro Ishii and Naito are sure to be some of the greatest matches of the tour.
Zack Sabre Jr.: This year’s New Japan Cup winner looks to rebound after failing to dethrone Okada earlier this year. A finals win would give him another crack at the title.
Hirooki Goto: Always the bridesmaid and never the bride, NEVER Openweight Champion Goto is an excellent worker. The problem with him is that he never captures “the big one.” Is this year different? Well, probably not, but he’ll have good matches.
SANADA: SANADA is also coming back after losing the Tag Team titles to The Young Bucks at Dominion. As someone who’s pegged for stardom, SANADA is always someone to watch in a tournament such as this. One question that is on everyone’s mind: how will he fare against stablemate Naito?
Juice Robinson: The new IWGP United States Champion is riding a wave of momentum after beating Jay White at the G1 Special last weekend. Scoring wins over Naito, Omega or Ibushi would up his cred even more.
Tomohiro Ishii: The Stone Pitbull lives up to his name, giving it his all in every match he’s in. He’ll certainly have great matches, but how long will his body be able to stand all the punishment? We’ll have to see based on how many bandages he’s sporting by the time of the finals.
Tama Tonga: Just a week ago, Tonga would have been just another Bullet Club performer in the G1. But after splitting from the Bullet Club and forming the Firing Squad, he looks to step it up a level in this year’s tournament. Watch out for his match against Omega, as fireworks are sure to go off.
Toru Yano: The notorious trickster of NJPW, Yano will do absolutely anything to get a win, including ref bumps, turnbuckle shots, and low blows. Yano always squeaks by with an upset in at least one or two of these matches, so be ready for a surprise!

So who’s facing who on what day?

Check here for a list of full cards, including non-tournament matches. Keep in mind the card for the finals won’t be revealed until the day before at the earliest.

Anything else I should know?

I don’t think so, but again, hit me up on Twitter and I’ll be happy to answer!

I’ll just reiterate what I said earlier: if you aren’t a fan of the Japanese style of pro wrestling, this is still worth a look because of all the different types of matches you’ll be seeing in the tournament. There’s bound to be something that you’ll enjoy.

For 999 yen (under $10) a month, I feel this is worth the time and investment to get into. Give this a shot, especially if you grow bored of what’s going on with WWE or other companies.