Tag: g1 climax 29

NJPW G1 Climax 29 night seven results: Okada vs. Ospreay

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Night seven of the G1 Climax tournament marks the second consecutive day the tournament runs in Korakuen Hall. On the docket tonight is more A Block action, including a huge champion vs. champion match, with IWGP champion Kazucika Okada taking on IWGP Jr. champion Will Ospreay.

Preliminary bouts:

– Jon Moxley and Shota Umino defeated Juice Robinson and Yota Tsuji

Umino submitted Tsuji with a Boston Crab 

– Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Minoru Suzuki defeated Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano and Yuya Uemura

Kanemaru pinned Uemura following the Deep Impact DDT.

– Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Jeff Cobb, Toa Henare and Tomoaki Honma

Owens defeated Henare with the package piledriver.

– Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI defeated Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Ren Narita

BUSHI pinned Narita with the MX.

Block A matches:

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Bad Luck Fale by count out

This didn’t last long, which was probably for the best. I liked the finish of the match as Sabre used Fale’s lack of mobility to his advantage which was smart.

Sabre immediately charges at the bell and goes for a guillotine. Fale escapes as Sabre targets the arm. He manages to take him down and triangle him. They get up to their feet but Fale strikes first with a big clothesline.

Sabre escapes the Bad Luck Fall and clutches on to the shoulders but Jado comes in with the kendo stick and strikes Sabre in the back. Fale takes Sabre into the crowd Fale went for the Bad Luck Fall in the crowd but Sabre escaped. 

Owens, who was seconding Fale, tried to interfere but Sabre got rid of him. Sabre then latched on to Fale and slowly put him down on the floor as the referee started to count. Sabre made it in before 20, but Fale did not, thus giving Sabre the win.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Lance Archer

This was great. Lance Archer is working so hard in this tournament and has done a fantastic job thus far, and this match was probably the best example of that. He was the perfect big man for Tanahashi, who was also tremendous.

Tanahashi zoned in on Archer’s leg right at the bell.  He took Archer to the outside and whipped him into the barricade. Archer tried to enter the ring again, but Tanahashi latched on to Archer’s leg. Archer responded by taking out Tanahashi with, get this, rolling senton to the floor. 

Archer dominated the match from here, looking for the Texas Cloverleaf. Tanahashi powered out of that. Archer retaliated with elbows to the corner, but Tanahashi took him out with a slingblade. Archer took out Tanahashi with the pounce and rope walked, but when he landed Tanahashi countered with the twist and shout and slingblade.

Tanahashi went for the high fly flow, but Archer grabbed him and hit a chokeslam. Archer hit a twisting splash and motions for the EBD (iron) claw. Tanahashi grabbed Archer’s wrist, but Archer overpowered him and took him to the corner, where the referee broke it up.

Archer went for blackout but Tanahashi held on, then rolled him up for the win. 

KENTA defeated EVIL

This was a good brawl. I think too many of these matches have had brawls into the crowd and is kind of becoming a crutch, but once they got into the ring it was a real good back and forth hard hitting match.

EVIL got the advantage early, taking KENTA out of the ring and into the exterior of Korakuen Hall. They ended up going into the crowd, clearing out an area where they countered one another until KENTA suplexed EVIL into the chairs.

KENTA took back EVIL into the ring but EVIL cut him off and hit a fisherman’s suplex. The two brawled from here, with EVIL taking out KENTA with a headbutt. He connected with the Darkness Falls, but only got a two count. 

EVIL went for the STO but KENTA countered with a backslide as both men exchanged near falls. KENTA dodged a lariat, rebounded and hit the running knee strike, then another but EVIL kicked out. KENTA went for the PK but EVIL countered. KENTA took EVIL down with a knee, connected with the PK then hit the GTS for the win.

Kota Ibushi defeated SANADA

This was great. Things started off pretty slow, but by the end this was an excellent athletic match between these two. Not blow away awesome, but an extremely good match.

They started things off slow, doing mat wrestling. SANADA took Ibushi to the outside, but after some showboating walked into a springboard forearm smash by Ibushi. SANADA took out Ibushi with a dropkick and landed a plancha off the ring and to the floor.

The two exchanged nearfalls, with SANADA targeting a knee. SANADA went for a dropkick but Ibushi in midair countered with a double foot stomp. The two go on a striking exchange, with Ibushi getting the better of things and landing a last ride powerbomb for a near fall.

 Ibushi grabbed the wrist for the kamigoye but SANADA dodged and somehow managed to strike Ibushi with his own finish. He went to the top rope but Ibushi dodged the moonsault and struck SANADA with the boma ye. Ibushi went to lawn dart SANADA in the corner but SANADA slipped from behind and went for the skull end. Ibushi countered and went for the cold skull, then SANADA countered and went for the lawn dart, but eventually SANADA connected with the lawn dart, sending SANADA into the turnbuckle.

SANADA floated over a German suplex and cut off Ibushi, whirling him around and going for the skull end, but Ibushi floated over. SANADA tried to counter, but Ibushi cut him off with a kick and motioned for the boma ye again. He connected, but SANADA kicked out again. Ibushi went for the kamigoye one more time, connecting then getting the win.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay

Yes, this was a stupendous match. I don’t think it is as good as Moxley/Ishii but I think all of this is based on preference, as there has been a ton of great matches in this tournament so far, all different in many ways. This was another excellent match that will get a ton of buzz.

Like the previous match, things started out slow. They both did a spot where they took each other out of the ring then held the ring ropes open to let their opponent back in. They soon exchange strikes, with Ospreay getting the better of things.

Ospreay loaded onto Okada with a fierce chop that sent him reeling to the floor. Okada took Ospreay who went for a springboard around the ropes and hit a neckbreaker on the knee. A shotgun dropkick followed.

Okada hit an elbow and did the rainmaker pose but a huge flurry of offense followed from Ospreay, but Okada cut him off and hit the tombstone. Ospreay countered the rainmaker with a rollup then hit the Robinson special. Okada dropkicked Ospreay as he was on the ropes going for the Oscutter, sending him to the floor.

Okada took Ospreay to the apron but Ospreay fought him, sending him to the floor. Okada grabbed him and motioned for the tombstone, but Ospreay shoved him into the barrier then hit the Oscutter off the railing.

The referee counted as Okada entered the ring, but Ospreay hit a giant springboard legdrop and followed with another oscutter for a two count. Ospreay springboarded off the top rope, but Okada countered with a German suplex. Okada dropkicked Ospreay and went for the rainmaker but Ospreay countered with a Spanish fly. 

Gaining momentum, Ospreay followed that with a shooting star press and a stormbreaker attempt but Okada reversed into the tombstone. Ospreay, however, countered back and hit a tombstone of his own. Ospreay went for the stormbreaker again, but Okada landed on his feet and hit the rainmaker, then another. 

Okada went for onw more rainmaker, but Ospreay reversed out of nowhere and went for the stormbreaker. Okada escaped, blocked Ospreay and hit a spinning rainmaker, then one more, and pinned Ospreay.

Okada closed out the show with a promo.

G1 CLIMAX 29 STANDINGS —

B BLOCK

  • Jon Moxley 6
  • Tomohiro Ishii 4
  • Juice Robinson 4
  • Shingo Takagi 4
  • Toru Yano 4
  • Taichi 2
  • Jeff Cobb 2
  • Tetsuya Naito 2
  • Hirooki Goto 2
  • Jay White 0

A BLOCK

  • KENTA 8
  • Kazuchika Okada 8
  • EVIL 4
  • Kota Ibushi 4
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi 4
  • Lance Archer 2
  • Will Ospreay 2
  • Bad Luck Fale 2
  • SANADA 2
  • Zack Sabre Jr. 2

Daily Update: Tony Schiavone, Mickie James, G1 notes

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News:

Latest Audio: 

We’ll be doing polls on just the Saturday night G-1 show this week (Okada vs. Ospreay) unless enough people watch the Dragon Gate show Sunday.  So you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]” target=”_blank”>[email protected]

We’re also looking for reports tonight from the WWE Raw show in Reading, PA, U.K. TV taping in Plymouth, UK, Impact tapings tonight in Windsor, ONT (Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin street fight, Tessa Blanchard vs. Mad Man Fulton, Rich Swann vs. Jake Crist for the X title, Ethan Page & Josh Alexander vs. Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz for the tag titles, Willie Mack vs. Rob Van Dam, Jordynne Grace vs. Keira Hogan) and NXT in Tampa to [email protected]

We’re looking for reports on Saturday from the WWE Raw show in Wildwood, NJ, Smackdown in Columbus, GA, Impact tapings in Windsor, ONT (Rob Van Dam & Rich Swann & Willie Mack vs. Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz & Trey Miguel, Eddie Edwards vs. Ace Austin), U.K. tapings in Plymouth, UK, ROH TV tapings in Manhattan, NY and NXT in Cocoa, FL to [email protected]

CMLL AT ARENA MEXICO TONIGHT AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN ON THE CMLL YOUTUBE PAGE

  • Super Astro Jr. & Sonic vs. Cancerbero & Raziel
  • Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Esfinge vs. Ephesto & Luciferno & Hechicero
  • Marcela vs. Amapola for CMLL women’s title
  • Gran Guerrero & Euforia & Templario & Soberano Jr. vs. Forastero & Sanson & Cuatrero & Volador Jr.
  • Rush & Mistico & Bestia del Ring vs. L.A. Park & El Hijo de L.A.Park & L.A. Park Jr.
  • Jushin Liger vs. Caristico vs. Ultimo Guerrero vs. Negro Casas 

NEW JAPAN G-1 CLIMAX FROM KORAKUEN HALL IN TOKYO LIVE AT 5:30 A.M. EASTERN ON SATURDAY AND TOP MATCHES ON AXS TV AT 9 P.M. EASTERN

  • Juice Robinson & Yota Tsuji vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
  • Hirooki Goto & Toru Yano & Yuya Uemura vs. Minoru Suzuki & Taichi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Jeff Cobb & Toa Henare & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jay White & Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Yoshi-Hashi & Ren Narita vs. Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi &Bushi
  • Bad Luck Fale vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Lance Archer
  • KENTA vs. Evil
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Sanada
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay

UFC FROM SAN ANTONIO SATURDAY NIGHT ON ESPN TELEVISION AT 6 P.M. EASTERN

  • Domingo Pilarte (136) vs. Felipe Colares (136)
  • Mario Bautista (136) vs. Jin Soo Son (136)
  • Ray Borg (136) vs. Gabriel Silva (134)
  • Roxanne Modafferi (125) vs. Jennifer Maia (129)
  • Sam Alvey (205) vs. Klidson Abreu (205)
  • Raquel Pennington (136) vs. Irene Aldana (135)
  • Alex Caceres (146) vs. Steven Peterson (145)
  • Andrei Arlovski (246) vs. Ben Rothwell (265)
  • Alexander Hernandez (155) vs. Francisco Trinaldo (156)
  • James Vick (156) vs. Dan Hooker (155)
  • Greg Hardy (266) vs. Juan Adams (266)
  • Aleksei Oleinik (236) vs. Walt Harris (256)
  • Rafael dos Anjos (171) vs. Leon Edwards (171)

ROH FROM THE HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM IN MANHATTAN ON SATURDAY AT 7 P.M. EASTERN ON HONOR CLUB

  • Matt Taven vs. Jay Lethal for ROH title
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe in a street fight for the ROH tag title
  • Marty Scurll & PCO & Brody King & Flip Gordon vs. Bandido & Mark Haskins & Tracy Williams & P.J.Black
  • Dragon Lee vs. Jonathan Gresham
  • Rush vs. T.K. O’Ryan
  • Beer City Bruiser & Brawler Milonas vs. Moses Maddox & Jasper Kaun vs. Shaheem Ali &. LSG

MLW TV ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 9 P.M. EASTERN ON BEIN SPORTS

  • Alexander Hammerstone vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for National championship
  • L.A. Park & El Hijo de L.A. Park vs. Dr. Wagner Jr. & El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.

DRAGON GATE KOBE WORLD FESTIVAL FROM KOBE WORLD MEMORIAL HALL ON SATURDAY NIGHT AT 2 A.M. EASTERN AND 11 P.M. PACIFIC AT https://dragongate.live/

  • Super Shisa & K-Ness & Shachihoko Boy & Problem Dragon & Draztick Boy vs. Kennichiro Arai & Jason Lee & Keisuke Okuda & Dragon Dia & Jimmy
  • BxB Hulk & Kagetora & Yosuke Santa Maria vs. Genki Horiguchi & Yasshi & Punch Tominaga vs. Hyo Watanabe & Yuki Yoshioka & Kota Minoura
  • Choi Hong-man vs.  Ryo Saito & Hollywood Stalker Ichikawa
  • Kzy vs. Shun Skywalker
  • Takashi Yoshida & Yasushia Kanda & Kazma Sakamoto vs. The Strong Machines for the Open the Triangle Gate title
  • Susumu Yokosuka vs. Flamita for the Open the Brave Gate title
  • Ultimo Dragon & Masato Yoshino & Dragon Kid vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Shuji Kondo & Takuya Sugawara
  • Yamato & Kai vs. Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida vs. Eita & Big R Shimizu for Open the Twin Gate title
  • Pac vs. Ben K for the Open the Dream Gate title
  • Sunday has a Raw house show in Orlando and Smackdown in Pensacola.

ROH FROM LOWELL, MA ON SUNDAY AT 7 P.M. EASTERN ON HONOR CLUB

  • Marty Scurll & PCO & Brody King vs. Tracy Williams & Mark Haskins & Bandido for the ROH trios titles
  • Rush vs. Dalton Castle
  • Dragon Lee vs Kenny King
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Beer City Bruiser & Brawler Milonas vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe for ROH tag titles
  • Matt Taven & T.K. O’Ryan & Vinny Marseglia vs. Jay Lethal & Alex Shelley & Jonathan Gresham
  • Shane Taylor vs. Eli Isom for TV title
  • Silas Young vs. P.J. Black

Raw is Monday in Tampa with the Raw Reunion special featuring appearances from dozens of wrestlers from the past including Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Ric Flair, DX (HHH, Shawn Michaels, Sean Waltman and Road Dogg) and tons of others.  There is also a Smackdown house show in Fort Myers, FL.

Tuesday has Smackdown and 205 Live tapings in Miami.

F4W NEWSLETTER: Recapping WWE Extreme Rules

Joseph Currier recaps Extreme Rules, which saw Brock Lesnar cash in to again become Universal Champion.

Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view ended with Lesnar cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Seth Rollins to win the Universal title. After Rollins & Becky Lynch defeated Baron Corbin & Lacey Evans in the main event, Lesnar and Paul Heyman came out with the briefcase. Rollins charged at Lesnar, but Lesnar gave him two German suplexes. The bell rang to start the match — and Lesnar hit an F5 to again become Universal Champion.

Rollins will get his rematch for the Universal title at SummerSlam next month. He won a number one contender’s battle royal on the post-Extreme Rules edition of Raw, defeating Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Corbin, Rey Mysterio, Sami Zayn, Big E, Bobby Lashley, and Cesaro.

Rollins’ three-month reign as Universal Champion ended up being pretty lackluster. It started strong with a great defense against AJ Styles, but Rollins’ matches were only as good as his opponents allowed them to be. It’s difficult to succeed when the majority of your PPV title defenses are against Corbin.

WON NEWSLETTER: July 22, 2019 Observer Newsletter: SummerSlam takes shape, Fight for the Fallen review, more

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

We will have shows this weekend tonight with Garrett Gonzalez talking G-1 and other subjects and tomorrow Bryan and I will talk G-1, UFC and the Arena Mexico show tonight.

Arena Mexico tonight with the farewell of Jushin Liger is probably the biggest show of the weekend.  It’ll certainly be the biggest crowd wise anywhere dating back to WrestleMania.  Plus L.A.Park and Rush are on opposite sides of a trios match.

Tomorrow’s Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay match is a somewhat rare IWGP heavyweight champion vs. junior heavyweight champion match.  It has been done a handful of times in history, including those two including a March 6, 2018, match that Okada won.  No junior heavyweight champion in history has ever beaten the heavyweight champion in a singles match in New Japan

Also, late tomorrow night is the biggest Dragon Gate event of the year, the Kobe World Festival.  We have an interview up on the site with Larry Dallas talking about the show.  It is the first time a Dragon Gate show from Japan will be broadcast live in the U.S. on a streaming service in English.  Dallas and Rich Bocchini, who are having the times of their lives in Japan this week, will be doing the announcing.  The thing with Dragon Gate historically is that it has always been the group in the last 15 years that is years ahead stylistically, so if you want to see what pro wrestling may look like in 2025 or so, this may be a good look.  The main event result, if Ben K wins, would also at least open the door for talks for Pac in AEW.

G-1 has been incredible once again, the last two days have had three can’t miss matches with Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jon Moxley and Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay.  They are three of the best matches so far of the tournament.

Court Bauer of MLW on Tony Schiavone’s situation:  “Unless AEW elects to reach out, Tony Schiavone cannot proceed with AEW or any other company doing anything.  I was unaware of him doing the digital stuff until I read it in this week’s Observer.”

WWE

  • A story on Ali and Ricochet helping buy supplies for a kindergarten classroom in Arizona.
  • Add Candice Michelle to the list of names appearing on Raw Monday.
  • Mickie James’ website had an interview with James who talked about the injury. “From the very moment of impact, I knew something was wrong. I hoped against all odds that it wasn’t a serious injury, but it was that bad. I don’t fault Carmella. She has always been a professional. I’ve been very lucky to avoid major injuries in the past; but eventually, everyone’s luck runs out in the ring. After 20 years, I guess mine did.” The expected recovery time for reconstruction ACL surgery like this is about nine months.
  • Seth Rollins talks to Tampa Bay Times about Raw on Monday.
  • Notes on John Cena’s next movie release.
  • A story on the WWE Ghostbuster toy line. (thanks to Joe Puccio)
  • While never advertised, we’ve been asked a lot about Bret Hart.  Hart was asked but declined the offer.
  • Shawn Michaels announcing Smackdown on Tuesday is a one-time thing.
  • Mickie James had surgery to repair the torn ACL in her right knee after injuring her knee in a match on June 1. The surgery was performed by Dr. Jeffrey Dugas in Birmingham, Alabama and it was a complete success.
  • A story on CFL star James Wilder Jr. talking about his recent WWE tryout.
  • www.BetOnline.ag has released odds on these WWE bouts for SummerSlam:
    Brock Lesnar -200 vs. Seth Rollins +150
    Becky Lynch -250 vs. Natalya +170
    Bayley -200 vs. Ember Moon +150

UFC

  • The only person to not make weight for tomorrow night’s UFC show in San Antonio was Jennifer Maia, who weighed in at 129 for her fight with Roxanne Modafferi.  The fight will go on and Maia has been fined 30 percent of her purse.
  • Abu Dhabi Media announced the launch of UFC Arabia, the first Arabic language streaming platform in that part of the world.  It will live stream fights in both English and Arabic. 

MISCELLANEOUS

  • BetOnline odds for AEW All Out:
    Chris Jericho -200 vs. Adam Page +150
    Cody Rhodes -180 vs. Shawn Spears +140
    Kenny Omega +120 vs. Jon Moxley -160
    Best Friends +150 vs. Dark Order -200
    Young Bucks -100 vs. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix -140
  • Destiny World Wrestling on 8/9 in Mississauga, ONT at the Anapolis Banquet Hall with Jake & Dave Crist & Sami Callihan vs. Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky in an Impact vs. AEW main event, plus Tenille Dashwood, Joey Ryan Aiden Prince, Trey Miguel, Josh Alexander and more.
  • Konosuke Takeshita isn’t coming to Adelaide, Australia.  The Sub Zero Pro promoter screwed up on the travel.
  • ONE sent a legal letter to Will Chope, a former UFC fighter who has been living and fighting in Asia, who criticized their drug testing program, saying that everyone knows the company’s fighters are juiced but their testing hides results of guys they don’t want to fail.  The company wrote a letter saying the claims are false and baseless and constitute serious libel damage and told him to immediately remove the posts.  Chope said he also received private messages from multiple people recommending to him that he remove the posts.  Chope told Bloody Elbow that he was just pointing things out, and doesn’t even care about steroid use, just that it’s rampant  in Asian MMA.  Chope did take the posts down feeling it’s not worth the risk because libel law in Thailand is much different than in the U.S.
  • Legacy Fighting on 7/26 in Phoenix at the Comerica Theater on AXS has Daniel Madrid (16-6) vs. Chris Harris (11-3) and Anthony Birchak (13-6) vs. Raphael Montini (6-2 in the top fights.
  • Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 8/3 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
  • StocktonCon on 8/3 and 8/4 in Stockton at the Arena will have Kurt Angle (8/3 only), Lita, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Vickie Guerrero and Marty Scurll.
  • Sendai Girls runs a show with Fight Club Pro on 7/27 in Manchester, UK at Academy One with Meiko Satomura vs Toni Storm, Dash Chisako vs. Kay Lee ray in a no DQ match, Charli Evans & Millie McKenzie defend the Sendai Girls tag titles against Chihiro Hashimoto & Yuu, Session Moth Martina vs. Aiger and more.  Fight Club Pro has a show the night before in Wolverhampton at The Hangar with Aussie Open defending the men’s tag titles against Satomura & Chisako.
  • Hurricane Pro Wrestling on 7/27 in Beaumont,TX at Ford Park live at 8 p.m. Eastern on the Title Match Network with Thunder Rosa vs. Mercedes Martinez, Miranda Alize vs. a mystery star and Hyan vs. Amber Nova, plus Heather Monroe vs. Alex Gracia and Priscilla Kelly vs. Rock-C.
  • There is a GoFund Me for medical bills for Kenny Bolin,.the former OVW manager who needs his knee replaced and eye surgery at www.gofundme.com/f/medical-bills-fundraiser-for-kenny-bolin
  • Superkicked tonight in Toronto at the Great Hall
  • Zenshi vs. El Hijo de L.A. Park has been added to the 7/25 MLW show at the Melrose Ballroom in New York.
  • Dean Malenko will be doing a seminar tomorow from 1-4 p.m. in Hazelton, PA at the Holy Family Academy and another seminar on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the CZW Wrestling Academy in Voorhees, NJ.  Both seminar costs are $75.  The seminars are open to all pro wrestlers of any experience level.
  • CWE has announced 8/17 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, at the Wildrose Room with Warlord, Johnny Devine and TK O’Ryan.
  • A story on a wrestler wearing a Hijab. (thanks to Chris Cruise)
  • Brady Roberts has created and produced a new Canadian comedy television series titled Paper Champions, about a failing independent wrestling company, loosely inspired by my time working on the independents. It is a 7 episode series and stars Kylee Bush (iZombie), Paul Lazenby (MMA Fighter, Deadpool), and Peter Chao (YouTube star) among others. The series features a cameo from Lance Storm and the Storm Wrestling Academy as well. As part of the launch of the series, a montage  of Bad Wrestler AuditionsAn interview with Mercedes Martinez.
  • Notes on a benefit event for the Carol & Bruno Sammartino Foundation in Pittsburgh. (thanks to Chris Cruise)
  • A Slam Wrestling article on the late Buck Ramstead.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: TNA Victory Road 2009

CONTACT INFORMATION

NJPW G1 Climax 29 night six results: Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Posted on by Ethan Renner

We have reached the one-third point of the G1 Climax 29 after today’s show in Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall. 

Here are night six’s results and match recaps:

BAD LUCK FALE & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. & YOSHINBOU KANEMARU

They’re playing up Sabre’s losing streak in the G1, as he remains winless. Sabre tried to attack Fale after the match, but Fale fought him off and left him laying. 

This was a wild brawl that saw Bullet Club attack Suzuki-gun before the opening bell. 

Fale won with a Grenade on Kanemaru after ducking the whiskey mist. Kanemaru accidentally sprayed the whiskey in Sabre’s eyes. 

MINORU SUZUKI & LANCE ARCHER DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI & TOMOAKI HONMA

This was another fun brawl. Suzuki-gun attacked a pack of Young Lions after the match. 

Honma went for a kokeshi on Suzuki, but Suzuki tripped him. Suzuki-gun took over. Suzuki used an armbar over the ropes, and this turned into a Suzuki-gun crowd brawl. 

Archer and Suzuki worked over Honma in their corner. Suzuki landed some stiff forearm shots. Honma caught a PK, then hit a diving kokeshi, enabling a tag to Tana. 

Tana worked on Archer’s legs, playing off the damage KENTA did to Archer’s legs with kicks last night. Archer caught Tana on a slingblade attempt and hit a bossman slam. 

Tana and Honma used a double suplex on Archer, then hit stereo kokeshis. Archer hit stereo chokeslams on Tana and Honma as the match broke down. Archer won with the EBD Claw into a pinfall on Honma. 

Archer used the Claw on Tanahashi after the bell. 

EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, KENTA & CLARK CONNORS

This was a nice preview of the upcoming SANADA vs. Ibushi and EVIL vs. KENTA matches. SANADA and Ibushi posed on the turnbuckles after the match, getting a split reaction from the crowd. 

SANADA and Ibushi started out with a hot exchange. BUSHI tripped Ibushi from the floor, allowing LIJ to take over. They cut the ring in half, working over Ibushi. Ibushi came back with a dropkick and managed a tag to KENTA. 

KENTA lit up EVIL with kicks and knee strikes. BUSHI made a tag and hit a missile dropkick. KENTA came back with a powerslam, then tagged Connors. 

Connors hit a great leapfrog/drop down/dropkick, then used a full crab on BUSHI. SANADA tried to break it up, but Ibushi intervened. LIJ went three-on-one against Connors, and BUSHI hit a backstabber for a near fall. BUSHI then hit the MX for the pin. 

KAZUCHIKA OKADA & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY & TOA HENARE

Ospreay and Okada delivered a nice preview of their meeting tomorrow, but the real star of this match was Henare. He looked great in defeat here. 

YH and Henare had an even back-and-forth at the outset. Okada got a tag, hit a slingshot senton, then mocked Ospreay with his pose. Okada and YH worked over Henare in their corner. 

Ospreay finally got a tag. He hit Pip Pip Cheerio on Okada, then hit the Rainmaker pose. Ospreay ducked a Rainmaker. Okada blocked an OsCutter with a dropkick. Ospreay hit an enzuigiri, and we were back to Henare and YH. 

Henare got a pair of near falls off a vertical suplex and a tackle. Okada and Ospreay jumped in. Ospreay sent Okada to the floor with a clothesline, then hit a pescado. YH picked up the pin after a fisherman buster. 

B BLOCK MATCH: SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED TAICHI (14:41)

This was excellent. Shingo was great as always, but Taichi really rose to the occasion. 

Shingo attacked before the bell, as things got off to a fast start. Shingo hit a big vertical suplex, and Taichi rolled to the floor in an attempt to slow things down. Taichi used a distraction from Miho Abe to hit Shingo with his mic stand. 

They fought into the crowd, and Taichi used a chair. Back inside, Taichi used an eye rake, then hit a series of kicks. Shingo fired back with strikes, a slam, and a back elbow off the second rope. 

Shingo missed on a sliding lariat, then Taichi hit a head kick. Taichi nearly took Shingo’s head off with an enzuigiri, then took his pants off. 

Shingo blocked a buzzsaw kick. They traded strikes, then exchanged back suplexes. Shingo blocked an axe bomber, then hit noshigami. They hit simultaneous lariats. They exchanged strikes, and Taichi hit an axe bomber into a double down. 

Taichi hit a buzzsaw kick. Shingo used a backslide for a two count, then hit Made in Japan for a near fall. Shingo fired up, then hit two lariats. Taichi blocked a Last of the Dragon attempt, then hit an axe bomber and an enzuigiri. 

Taichi used a Last Ride for a near fall. Taichi shoved the ref down and tried a low blow, but Shingo blocked it. Shingo hit a short lariat, then hit a Pumping Bomber for a two count. 

Shingo hit Last of the Dragon and got the 1-2-3. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JEFF COBB DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON (13:22)

Both guys looked great here. They worked a very hard-hitting match. 

Juice took the early part of the match. He hit a series of jabs and clotheslines. He teased the cannonball, but switched to a dropkick as Cobb stood up out of the corner. Juice tried a pescado. Cobb caught him and teased a suplex on the floor, but Juice slipped out, then posted him. 

Juice continued to dominate on the inside. He tried for a standing moonsault, but missed. Cobb caught a leg lariat attempt and hit an overhead throw. Cobb caught Juice on a spear attempt, then hit another throw. Cobb then hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. 

Juice fought off a Tour of the Islands attempt. He connected with a leg lariat, then went for a Juice Box. Cobb slipped out, and they exchanged forearms. Cobb hit a series of overhand rights, but Juice answered with a spinebuster. 

Juice hit a cannonball, then a top rope frankensteiner for a near fall. Cobb caught Juice on a running attack, then placed him on the top rope. Juice hit a sunset flip powerbomb from that position, earning a two count. 

Cobb blocked a Pulp Friction attempt, then hit a throw. Juice hit a big right hand, then dropped Cobb with a clothesline for another near fall. Cobb blocked another Pulp Friction attempt, then hit a German. He followed with a release German. 

Cobb hit a superkick, then connected with a bridging German for a near fall. Juice blocked Tour of the Islands and used a roll-up for a two count. 

Cobb blocked a left hand, then hit Tour of the Islands for his first win of the tournament. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TORU YANO DEFEATED JAY WHITE (3:04)

This was fun. 

White rolled to the floor, then used a distraction from Gedo to take over. Yano untied a corner pad. They traded roll-ups, then White hit a low blow. Yano spit in White’s eyes. 

White blocked a low blow. Gedo jumped in, and Red Shoes took a bump. Yano took brass knuckles away from Gedo. White ducked a brass knucks shot, but got sent into Gedo. Yano then hit a low blow with the brass knuckles and used a schoolboy for the pin. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TETSUYA NAITO DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO (14:00)

I was having a difficult time trying to visualize this match. Physically, Naito isn’t in a position to be carrying anyone right now. Goto has always been a guy that is capable of great matches, but he needs someone just a level up to work with. 

I think both guys took an extra step here. Naito had to kick it up a notch from his recent efforts, and Goto had to be more of a ring general than usual. The last few minutes were good, but I’m not sure that the finished product was as good as the sum of its parts. The effort was there, though. 

Goto choked Naito with his T-shirt before the match, as they continue to present a more intense version of Goto. Goto hit a series of kicks, but Naito quickly made a comeback. He dragged Goto to the apron, then snapped his leg against the apron. 

Naito continued to work on Goto’s left leg. He hit a low dropkick, then used a figure four. Goto came back with a spinning clothesline, a wheel kick to the back, then a Saito suplex for a near fall. 

Goto hit a neckbreaker in the corner. Naito continued working over the leg. Naito went for Destino, but Goto turned it into a neckbreaker over the knee. Goto hit an ushigoroshi for a near fall. 

Goto hit a series of short kicks to the chest with his bad leg. I’m not sure if he was supposedly playing possum, or if he just stopped selling. 

Naito went for Destino again, but Goto caught him, then hit an inverted GTR. Goto hit a mid kick for a near fall. He went for another ushigoroshi, but Naito turned it into a DDT. Naito hit Destino, but Goto kicked out. 

Naito followed up with a second Destino, earning his first points of the tournament. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JON MOXLEY DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII (20:37)

I don’t know if this was the best match of the tournament so far, but this is currently my favorite. 

They went nose-to-nose before the bell and started off at warp speed. They traded a flurry of strikes. Ishii missed an enzuigiri. Moxley took control and took the fight into the stands. Moxley rammed Ishii into the EAST sign. 

Moxley controlled the brawl as they continued around the entire arena. Back inside, Moxley taunted Ishii with short kicks and stomps. Ishii no-sold them, then fired up. Moxley cut him off with more short strikes, then used an STF. 

Moxley hit a series of chops and punches in the corner. Ishii ran out of the corner and hit a tackle, dropping Moxley. Ishii answered with his own series of punches and chops, then hit a vertical suplex. 

They brawled to the floor, where Moxley whipped Ishii into the barricade. Each man grabbed a chair. They hit stereo chair strikes, but Moxley got the best of the exchange. Moxley threw a chair at Ishii, dropping him. 

Moxley set up a table. He teased a uranage through the table, but Ishii blocked it. Ishii teased a suplex through the table, but Moxley blocked it. Moxley hit a dropkick, then a suicide dive. Moxley hit a chair shot. Ishii blocked another shot with his elbow, then used the chair himself. 

Ishii placed Moxley on the table, then hit a splash off the top rope through the table. We reached another level here. 

Ishii hit a suplex off the second rope for a near fall. Moxley blocked a sliding lariat. Ishii hit a German. Moxley hit a German, then a big lariat. 

Ishii blocked a knee strike, then hit an enzuigiri. He used a sliding lariat for a near fall. Ishii tried for a brainbuster, but Moxley bit his face, stopping him. Moxley hit a Regal Knee strike, into a double down. 

They traded headbutts. Moxley hit a lariat, then used a uranage for a two count. Moxley hit the Regal Knee, but Ishii kicked out. 

Ishii hit a backdrop out of a Death Rider attempt. Ishii blocked another Death Rider with a lariat. Ishii hit a second lariat. He covered, but Moxley kicked out. 

Each teased their finisher. Ishii hit a headbutt, then two lariats. Moxley no-sold, hit palm strikes, then hit Death Rider — but only got a two count. 

Moxley pulled down his knee pads, hit a Regal Knee, then followed with a Death Rider. This time, it was enough for the pin. 

G1 CLIMAX 29 STANDINGS —

B BLOCK

  • Jon Moxley 6
  • Tomohiro Ishii 4
  • Juice Robinson 4
  • Shingo Takagi 4
  • Toru Yano 4
  • Taichi 2
  • Jeff Cobb 2
  • Tetsuya Naito 2
  • Hirooki Goto 2
  • Jay White 0

A BLOCK

  • KENTA 6
  • Kazuchika Okada 6
  • EVIL 4
  • Lance Archer 4
  • Kota Ibushi 2
  • Will Ospreay 2
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi 2
  • Bad Luck Fale 2
  • SANADA 2
  • Zack Sabre Jr. 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 night five results: Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay

Posted on by Ethan Renner

A Block action continued today in Korakuen Hall as night five of the G1 Climax 29 rolled into Tokyo. 

Here are the results and match recaps:

JON MOXLEY & SHOTA UMINO DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII & YUYA UEMURA

Umino won with a fisherman’s suplex on Uemura, but the match result was secondary to the Moxley/Ishii interaction. 

They started off hot, trading blows. The intensity was off the charts, and Umino and Uemura had to break it up. In the body of the match, they exchanged finisher teases. They also had a pull-apart after the match. 

HIROOKI GOTO, JEFF COBB & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED JUICE ROBINSON, TOA HENARE & YOTA TSUJI

Goto and Cobb worked over Henare at the outset. Cobb missed a standing moonsault, and Juice tagged in. Juice and Cobb had a back-and-forth ahead of their match tomorrow. 

The finish saw YOSHI-HASHI use the butterfly lock on Tsuji for the submission victory. 

JAY WHITE, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED TORU YANO, TOMOAKI HONMA & REN NARITA

Yano wanted to start off with White, but White begged off. Bullet Club worked over Honma. Yano finally got a piece of White, and he got a near fall off a schoolboy. 

Yano exposed a turnbuckle, but White sent him into it. The match broke down, and Honma hit Yujiro with a kokeshi. Owens went for a package piledriver on Narita, but Narita hit a frankensteiner for a near fall. Owens then hit the package piledriver on Narita for the pin. 

MINORU SUZUKI, TAICHI & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO, SHINGO TAKAGI & BUSHI 

Shingo and Taichi face off tomorrow, and they were the focus of this tag preview. 

Suzuki-gun attacked before the bell. They worked over Shingo for a long time. Naito hit some signature offense on Kanemaru. The finish saw Suzuki use the Gotch-style Piledriver on BUSHI for the pin. 

After the match, Kanemaru spit whiskey in Shingo’s eyes. Shingo had to be helped to the back. 

A BLOCK MATCH: KENTA DEFEATED LANCE ARCHER (11:59)

KENTA went after Archer’s legs with kicks early on. Archer came back with a tackle. He tried to chokeslam KENTA off the apron, but a group of Young Lions caught KENTA. Archer answered with a flip dive off the apron. 

Archer taunted KENTA by calling him “Hideo.” Archer hit a pounce, but KENTA came back with a slam. KENTA hit a series of kicks. They fought on the top rope, and KENTA won the exchange with a palm strike. 

Archer caught KENTA coming off the top, then dropped him face-first on the mat. Archer went for the EBD Claw, but KENTA blocked. Archer went for a Blackout, but KENTA blocked it with a sleeper. 

KENTA hit a PK, then went for the GTS. Archer blocked and got the Claw applied, but KENTA reached the ropes, forcing a break. Archer hit a muscle buster, but KENTA kicked out at two. 

Archer hit a powerbomb, but KENTA kicked out of that as well. Archer went for a chokeslam, but KENTA pulled him to the mat with a triangle choke, then transitioned to the Game Over submission for the victory. Solid work from both guys here. Archer continues to impress. 

A BLOCK MATCH: EVIL DEFEATED SANADA (18:13)

SANADA missed a moonsault press in the opening exchange, which allowed EVIL to control the early part of the match. EVIL used SANADA’s own paradise lock on him. EVIL missed a senton, allowing SANADA to apply a paradise lock over the bottom rope. 

SANADA hit a pescado, then a back suplex. EVIL tried for his own suplex, but SANADA flipped out, then hit a springboard dropkick. SANADA hit a ref-assisted Magic Killer for a near fall, then hit a superplex for another two count. 

They traded Skull Ends. SANADA hit Everything is EVIL for a near fall. SANADA went for a moonsault, but EVIL got his knees up, then used an inside cradle for a near fall. 

They exchanged strikes. SANADA got Skull End applied, but EVIL pulled him into an inside cradle for another near fall. EVIL hit a lariat, then hit Darkness Falls for a two count. SANADA used an inside cradle for a near fall. 

EVIL hit a lariat, but SANADA kicked out at one. EVIL hit a second lariat for a two count, then hit Everything is EVIL to get the victory. Good match. The intensity really picked up in the last five minutes. 

The tag team partners shared a fist bump after. 

A BLOCK MATCH: KAZUCHIKA OKADA DEFEATED BAD LUCK FALE (10:15)

Fale attacked Okada in the aisle during his entrance. Chase Owens and Jado accompanied Fale to the ring, and they attacked Okada on the outside while Fale took the referee. 

Okada came back with a back elbow in the corner, a slam, and a flip dive over the top rope to the floor onto Fale, Jado, and Owens. 

Back inside, Okada hit a back elbow and used a DDT for a near fall. Okada hit a shotgun dropkick, then used an air raid crash for a near fall. Okada hit a top rope elbow, then hit his Rainmaker pose. 

Okada went for the Rainmaker, but Fale pulled the referee in the way. With the ref down, Owens jumped in for the illegal double team. Fale hit a Grenade. Okada slipped out of a Bad Luck Fall, then hit Owens with a dropkick. 

Jado used a kendo stick shot from the floor. Fale tried for a sunset flip, but Okada sat down into a pinfall and got the win. Okada hit Fale with a dropkick after the match, then mocked him with a salute. 

This was not one of the better Okada vs. Fale matches that I’ve seen. 

A BLOCK MATCH: HIROSHI TANAHASHI DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. (13:56)

They began with an excellent mat wrestling exchange. Sabre went for a cobra twist, which set off a series of cradle attempts from both men. They traded near falls, and Tana ended the sequence with a Twist and Shout. That was awesome. 

Sabre got the octopus applied, but Tana slid out and hit a dragon screw. They traded strikes, then both went for a backslide. After a stalemate, Tana hit a slingblade. 

Tana used a European clutch for a near fall. Sabre tried for a cross armbreaker, then tied up both of Tana’s arms with his legs. After a long submission tease, Tana reached the ropes. 

Sabre stomped on Tana’s right arm. Tana caught a PK. Sabre hit a series of slaps, but Tana no-sold them, then hit a dragon screw. Tana hit slingblade, then a standing High Fly Flow. 

He went for a second High Fly Flow, but Sabre got his knees up. Sabre applied a triangle, but Tana rolled through and bridged into a pin for the victory. 

These two can present something of a style clash at times, but I think this was one of their better outings together. This was excellent. 

A BLOCK MATCH: KOTA IBUSHI DEFEATED WILL OSPREAY (27:16)

They locked up, and Ospreay broke cleanly against the ropes. Ibushi returned the favor on the ensuing lockup. 

Ospreay tried a wristlock. Ibushi transitioned to a headscissors. Ospreay escaped once, but Ibushi made it back to the headscissors. Ospreay escaped again and went back to the wristlock. Ibushi hit a tackle out of a side headlock. 

Ospreay went for an OsCutter, but Ibushi avoided it. Ibushi missed with a Kamigoye, and Ospreay pulled him to the apron. Ospreay rammed Ibushi’s bad ankle into the apron, then slammed him on the barricade. Ospreay posted Ibushi’s ankle. 

Ospreay went for double knees in the corner, but Ibushi stepped out of the way and hit a blistering kick to the taped-up neck of Ospreay. Ibushi used a chinlock. 

Ibushi hit a mid kick, but Ospreay returned fire with a handspring kick. Ospreay hit a top rope 619, but missed on Pip Pip Cheerio. Ibushi hit a powerslam, but missed a moonsault. Ospreay connected on Pip Pip Cheerio, and Ibushi rolled outside. Ospreay hit a Sasuke Special. 

Ospreay hit a Bloody Sunday DDT for a near fall. Ospreay went for another handspring kick, but Ibushi caught him. Ibushi hit a German, pulling Ospreay out of the air. Ibushi hit a series of strikes to the neck.

The intensity really picked up here. 

They exchanged strikes in the center of the ring. Ospreay caught a kick, then used a schoolboy for a near fall. Ospreay hit a head kick. Ibushi countered with a snap German. Ospreay hit an enzuigiri, but Ibushi countered with a sick-looking Jay Driller, spiking Ospreay on top of his head. 

Ibushi hit a Last Ride for a close near fall. Ospreay went for a Storm Breaker. Ibushi teased a spike package piledriver, but Ospreay pulled him to the mat in a cradle for a two count. Ospreay hit a spinning powerbomb for a near fall. 

Ospreay hit a series of head kicks. He teased a top rope OsCutter, but Ibushi cut him off, then tied him to the tree of woe. From that position, they traded slaps to the face. Ibushi kept Ospreay tied up, then hit a series of kicks to the head. 

Ibushi teased a top rope dragon suplex. Ospreay fought off the suplex, but Ibushi hit a backflip kick. Ibushi tried for a deadlift German off the second rope, but Ospreay landed on his feet. 

Ospreay hit Hidden Blade. He covered, but Ibushi got his hand on the bottom rope. Ospreay hit a Robinson Special. He tried for an OsCutter, but Ibushi blocked it. Ospreay hit a high kick, then hit an OsCutter. He covered, but only got a two count. 

Ospreay went for Storm Breaker. Ibushi countered with a knee to the face, then hit a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Ospreay hit a standing Spanish Fly for a near fall. 

Ospreay teased another Hidden Blade, but Ibushi ducked it, then hit a lariat. Ibushi hit a Bomaye for a near fall. 

Ibushi hit the Kamigoye and got the 1-2-3. 

Both guys gave their all in spite of being injured, and this was a great main event. 

G1 CLIMAX 29 STANDINGS —

A BLOCK

  • KENTA 6
  • Kazuchika Okada 6
  • EVIL 4
  • Lance Archer 4
  • Kota Ibushi 2
  • Will Ospreay 2
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi 2
  • Bad Luck Fale 2
  • SANADA 2
  • Zack Sabre Jr. 0

B BLOCK

  • Tomohiro Ishii 4
  • Jon Moxley 4
  • Juice Robinson 4
  • Hirooki Goto 2
  • Shingo Takagi 2
  • Taichi 2
  • Toru Yano 2
  • Jay White 0
  • Tetsuya Naito 0
  • Jeff Cobb 0

Will Ospreay cleared to return for night five of NJPW G1 Climax

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Will Ospreay is returning to the ring in time for night five of NJPW’s G1 Climax.

NJPW announced that, after suffering a neck injury, Ospreay has undergone a thorough examination and has been cleared to return to the ring. Ospreay will face Kota Ibushi in an A Block match in the main event of night five of the G1, which is taking place at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on Thursday morning.

Ospreay wrote about being cleared: “Death can kiss me all it wants, it never nails me. Translation: I got the green light. See you tomorrow Korakuen.”

Ospreay missed a tag match on night four of the tournament this Monday due to the neck injury. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the injury was a stinger and that Ospreay suffered it in his match against SANADA on night three of the G1.

Ospreay has had two tournament matches thus far, losing to Lance Archer on night one and defeating SANADA on night three.

NJPW G1 Climax 29 night four results: Naito vs. Taichi

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW was in Hokkaido today for more B Block action. Tetsuya Naito and Taichi clashed in the main event in a rekindling of their feud from last year.

Here are the prelim bouts that took place prior to the B Block matches:

– Jushin Thunder Liger and Kota Ibushi defeated Shota Umino and Yota Tsuji

Ibushi submitted Tsuji with the half Boston Crab. Liger cut a promo after the match thanking the fans.

– SANADA, BUSHI and EVIL defeated Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare and Ren Narita

BUSHI pinned Narita with the MX.

– Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA, Clark Connors and Karl Fredericks

Kanemaru pinned Connors with the Deep Impact DDT.

– Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI-HASHI defeated Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens

Okada pinned Owens with the rainmaker.

B Block:

Shingo Takagi defeated Toru Yano

This was fine for what it was. I don’t think it was as clever as the Naito match, but this is different than the normal G1 fare and I’m into it as a result.

Shingo, realizing Yano’s shirt got him the victory against Naito, wanted the shirt off. Yano was unsure about this, but obliged. Shingo jumped him but Yano put the shirt over him, shoved him into the turnbuckle and rolled him up for a near fall.

Yano goes out into the crowd and sits down in one of the aisles, daring Shingo to do something about it. Shingo started to make his way towards Yano, and Yano responded by tripping him into the stairs and setting up a bunch of obstacles so he could get a count out win. Despite everything, Shingo made it in at 19.

Yano next went for the tape. Shingo took it away from Yano and struck him with it. The two ended up exchanging punches Shingo blocked a low blow but Yano countered the noshigami with a crucifix roll-up. Yano put the ref in Shingo’s line of fire as he introduced as chair. He threw it to Shingo and tattled on him to the ref. 

BUSHI came out to ringside to I guess tell the referee what was going on. Shingo then threw the chair at Yano and pinned him with the pumping bomber. 

Juice Robinson defeated Hirooki Goto

This was a solid match. The work was very good and the crowd got into it. Will probably be lost in the ether of tremendous G1 matches, but this was a nice, good match.

The two start off tentatively. At the five minute mark they are both looking for control. Juice finally gets something with a big flapjack that takes down Goto. He is resilient, however, as they both exchange back and forth strikes.

Goto went for the ushigiroshi but Juice escaped as they both hit a lariat. Goto struck with a lariat that connected and followed that with the ushigiroshi. Goto continued to pelt Juice with strikes until Juice cuts him off and hits a jackhammer. 

Juice went for the pulp friction but Goto countered out of it Juice cradled him for a nearfall. The two exchanged strikes until Juice struck with the left hand then pinned Goto with the pulp friction.

Jon Moxley defeated Jeff Cobb

This was a really weird match. It never felt like it got going, then just ended abruptly out of nowhere.

Moxley gained the advantage early, taking Cobb to the outside and working on an arm, slamming it on the mat. He then took Cobb out to the floor and hit a tope suicida, wiping him out on the stage. He took Cobb further back, going for a powerbomb. Cobb tried to counter with a back body drop but Moxley retreated. They both end up hitting a double clothesline, taking each other out.

Moxley rolled Cobb back in the ring and struck Cobb with an elbow off the top rope. Cobb cut him off and started to connect with some offense but Moxley exposed a knee and hit a running knee strike for a nearfall. Cobb took Moxley to the apron and went for a suplex but Moxley blocked it and headed back in the ring, taking out Cobb with a knee and hitting a draping DDT for the win.

Tomohiro Ishii defeated Jay White

This got really great by the end of the match, easily the best match of the card up to this point. Crowd got into it big time too which helped.

As soon as the bell rang, White bolted out of the ring and tricked Ishii by going back to the ring when Ishii exited. Ishii got control soon after by whipping White across the barricades and getting a chair. Gedo distracted Ishii long enough for White to shove him into the ringpost, gaining control.

That didn’t last long however as Ishii hit White with a suplex and attacked him in the corner with kicks and chops. White hit a DDT then landed a suplex that sent Ishii back first into the post. Ishii soon fired back with some offense and hits a powerslam.

After Ishii got the better of White in a strike exchange, White took him out with a German suplex and goaded him with some kicks. Ishii encouraged him to do more and got right back up after a side suplex. Ishii attacked, taking him to the top rope and hitting a big superplex. 

White cut him off after some lariat attempts and took him down with a uranage. He connected with a kiwi crusher for a nearfall. White hit the sleeper suplex but Ishii countered with a German suplex. Ishii built momentum again, hitting the stack up powerbomb. White avoids the sliding D attempt and grabs a leg as Gedo starts to distract.

Ishii falls for the bait momentarily which allowed White to go for the bladerunner but Ishii countered, took out White and connected with the sliding D. White escaped the brainbuster and tried for the bladerunner but Ishii hit a downward spiral. He followed that up with a lariat then a brainbuster for the win.

Taichi defeated Tetsuya Naito

I’m not too sure what to think of this match. I think Taichi has developed a certain type of style with his matches, and this was what you would expect. I guess it was fine, but nothing going out of your way to watch. A long stretch of this was kind of boring, but by the end there was some good drama. The iron fingers of death is such a weak item to use, though.

Taichi, of course, opted to stall once the bell rang. Naito practically laid down in the middle of the ring so he could engage. Taichi bought the bait and kicked out of a near fall. After Miho Abe distracted Naito for a bit, he entered the ring and got low blowed by Taichi.

After Taichi connected with some Kawada kicks, Naito responded by spitting at Taichi. Taichi continued to work over Taichi until he took out what he had been planning for a while: the iron fingers of death. However, Naito took out Taich with a dropkick to the knee. Naito went for a hurricanrana, but Taichi countered with a ganso bomb.

Taichi went for Black Mephisto but Naito countered, hit a poison rana and hit the Destino. Taichi kicked out. Naito went for another, but Taichi hit the air raid crash. The two went at it some more until Taichi put Red Shoes in their path, with Naito accidently blasting him with a forearm.

Kanemaru got on the apron for the whiskey shot, but Naito took him out and also foiled another iron fingers of death attempt. Taichi went for a superkick and grabbed the fingers again, this time succeeding. Taichi then hit the last ride powerbomb for the win.

Taichi mocked the crowd to close out the show, saying he’s in the G1.

G1 STANDINGS

A BLOCK

Kazuchika Okada 4
KENTA 4
Lance Archer 4
SANADA 2
Bad Luck Fale 2
EVIL 2
Will Ospreay 2
Kota Ibushi 0
Zack Sabre Jr. 0
Hiroshi Tanahashi 0

B BLOCK

Tomohiro Ishii 4
Jon Moxley 4
Juice Robinson 4
Shingo Takagi 2
Hirooki Goto 2
Toru Yano 2
Taichi 2
Tetsuya Naito 0
Jeff Cobb 0
Jay White 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 night three results: Tanahashi vs. KENTA

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The G1 continued today in Ota, and the A Block continues to produce some early upsets. 

Hiroshi Tanahashi, The Ace of New Japan, and Kota Ibushi, considered by many to be the A Block favorite, remain winless after Sunday’s action. Both will look to rebound on Thursday in Korakuen Hall. 

B Block continues tomorrow in Hokkaido, with Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White in the headline matches. 

Here are full results and match recaps from today’s show, as well as the current G1 standings.

**********

JUICE ROBINSON, TOA HENARE & YOTA TSUJI DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO, TOMOAKI HONMA & YUYA UEMURA

Honma missed a kokeshi, which was an early momentum shifter. Juice and Goto had an intense faceoff ahead of their upcoming tournament bout. Both countered some signature spots, teasing them for the singles bout. 

Henare and Uemura exchanged strikes, but Henare put an end to that with a big headbutt to the chest. That led to a Toa Bottom, and Henare picked up the pin. A solid opener. 

JEFF COBB & REN NARITA DEFEATED JON MOXLEY & SHOTA UMINO

Narita started off hot, hitting a shotgun dropkick in the first move of the match. Cobb and Moxley got in, and Moxley flew around for Cobb. He twice slipped out of Tour of the Islands, while Cobb also avoided the Death Rider. 

Umino got a tag, and hit a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Cobb made his own comeback, hit Tour of the Islands, and pinned Umino. Cobb and Moxley had a staredown after the match. 

TOMOHIRO ISHII, TORU YANO & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED JAY WHITE, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS

White teased starting off with Ishii, but he begged off. Yujiro and YH then tagged in. Yujiro used every heel trick in the books, including biting and hair pulls. YH tried for a dropkick off the roes, but Gedo grabbed his ankle, allowing Bullet Club to take over. 

A brawl around ringside saw White send Ishii over the barricade. Back inside, Bullet Club took turns working over YH. YH hit a heel kick, then managed a tag to Ishii. Ishii no-sold White’s offense. White tried to bail to the outside, but Yano tossed him back in.

White avoided a brainbuster, and floated over for a DDT. They teased hitting finishers, but the sequence ended with White hitting a Saito suplex into a double down. 

Owens and Yano tagged in. Yano untied a corner pad, but Owens grabbed it and used it as a weapon. Owens and Yujiro doubled up on Yano. Owens hit a running knee for a nearfall, but YH saved. 

The match broke down, and Ishii nailed White with a powerslam. Owens swung the corner pad, but Yano ducked. Yano hit a low blow, and hit a schoolboy on Owens to earn the victory. White and Ishii should have an excellent match tomorrow. 

MINORU SUZUKI, TAICHI & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO, SHINGO TAKAGI & BUSHI 

Suzuki-gun quickly turned this into a brawl. Kanemaru hit Naito with a leg slice over the barricade, and Suzuki-gun went to work on Naito in their corner. 

Taichi used a stretch plum on Naito, but BUSHI broke it up. Taichi took his trousers off. He went for a buzzsaw kick, but Naito cut him off with a neckbreaker. Kanemaru and Shingo tagged in and had an intense exchange. Kanemaru held his own, and blocked a pop-up DVD. 

Suzuki tagged in and scored some offense on Shingo. He used a PK and a guillotine, but Shingo powered out with a vertical suplex. BUSHI made the save for Shingo, and LIJ went three-on-one against Suzuki. 

While Shingo, Kanemaru, Taichi and Naito brawled to the floor, Suzuki slapped a rear naked choke on BUSHI. He transitioned to a Gotch-style piledriver, then covered for the pin. 

After the bell, Taichi choked Naito with a camera cable on the floor. Those two will face off tomorrow. 

A BLOCK MATCH: LANCE ARCHER DEFEATED BAD LUCK FALE (10:12)

They started off hot, as Archer hit Fale with a tackle, and they fell through the ropes to the floor. Archer sent Fale into the announce desk, and a monitor flew off the table. Jado used a kendo stick on Archer on the outside. Archer no-sold it, but the distraction gave Fale the chance to take over. 

Archer is billed at 6 feet, 8 inches, but found himself working as a babyface in peril by default here, which was a sight to behold. Fale sent Archer flying into several rows of chairs. Archer made it back inside, where Fale continued working over his back. 

Archer came back with a big strike, then tried his rope-walk spot. Jado nailed him with the kendo stick from the floor, and Archer ended up seated on the top rope. Fale hit a monstrous superplex for a nearfall. 

Fale teased his own rope-walk, but Archer cut him off. Archer teased a Blackout off the second rope, but Fale escaped. Fale hit a Grenade for a nearfall. 

Fale went for a Bad Luck Fall, but Archer fought it off. Archer fought off a Jado attack, then hit a pounce. Archer hit a chokeslam for a nearfall, then used the EBD Claw to pin Fale. 

This was the best Fale match in forever, and Archer is on a real roll. 

A BLOCK MATCH: WILL OSPREAY DEFEATED SANADA (17:06)

The opening sequence saw some mat wrestling, then both men kipped up into a pose. SANADA offered a handshake, then tried to catch Ospreay off-guard with a kick. Ospreay caught it, then teased applying a paradise lock. SANADA escaped and applied the hold himself, but Ospreay kipped up out of it. 

Ospreay hit a dropkick. SANADA came back with a paradise lock, applied over the bottom rope. SANADA broke the hold with a dropkick to the floor. Back inside, SANADA went after Ospreay’s legs with a dropkick, then used a chinlock and strikes to target the neck. 

Ospreay hit a backflip kick, a top rope 619, a standing double stomp, then landed a standing shooting star press for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a Sasuke Special to the floor, then hit Pip Pip Cheerio on the inside. 

SANADA hit a leapfrog dropkick, then followed with a pescado. SANADA hit a back suplex for a nearfall. Ospreay hit a hook kick, avoided a TKO, then landed another hook kick. SANADA caught Ospreay off a backflip, then hit the TKO. 

They traded strikes. Ospreay hit an enziguri, then teased a Spanish fly, but SANADA avoided it. Ospreay hit a Liger bomb for a nearfall, then used a shooting star press for another. Ospreay teased Storm Breaker, but SANADA blocked the first attempt. 

Ospreay tried for Storm Breaker again, but SANADA reversed it into Skull End. SANADA went for the moonsault press, but Ospreay avoided it. SANADA landed on his feet, enabling Ospreay to hit a standing Spanish fly for a nearfall. 

Ospreay hit the Robinson Special. SANADA blocked an Oscutter, and hit Skull End again. Ospreay slid out. SANADA tried for an Oscutter, but Ospreay avoided it. Ospreay hit an Oscutter, then followed with a Storm Breaker for the pin. 

This was great. If they had gone five more minutes, this could have been an epic on the level of the best Ospreay matches this year. 

A BLOCK MATCH: KAZUCHIKA OKADA DEFEATED ZACK SABRE JR. (12:00)

Sabre used a variety of holds to target Okada’s left arm. Okada did a great subtle sell of the arm after the opening volley. They traded neck holds, then high kick attempts. Okada hit a big boot. Sabre avoided a dropkick, then used a European clutch for an awesome early nearfall. 

Sabre used another quick cradle for a two count. Getting people to buy nearfalls this early was really something. Sabre used a banana split, but Okada rolled to the ropes. Okada hit a back elbow in the corner, then a DDT. 

Okada went to the top for an elbow, but Sabre avoided it, forcing Okada to change direction and land on his feet. Sabre blocked a DDT, then used a guillotine. Okada broke the hold with an air raid crash, then landed a top rope elbow. 

Okada hit his Rainmaker pose. Sabre kicked the arm away, but Okada countered with a tombstone. Okada tried again for the Rainmaker, but Sabre turned it into an octopus hold. Okada reached the ropes, forcing a break. 

Sabre was selling his neck after the tombstone. He stomped away at Okada’s Rainmaker arm. They traded standing strikes. Sabre went for a PK, but Okada caught it. Okada hit a pair of dropkicks. 

Okada went for the Rainmaker, but Sabre turned it into a European clutch for a nearfall. Sabre used another cradle for a nearfall. Sabre blocked a tombstone, then applied an octopus variation. Okada spun out, and hit a Rainmaker. He followed with a second Rainmaker for the pin. 

This was different than your typical long Okada match, but it was excellent. Okada worked a lot like Omega here in terms of how the match was laid out, and where and how he hit his signature offense. 

A BLOCK MATCH: EVIL DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI (19:12)

They came out firing, exchanging a flurry of strikes. Ibushi hit a massive mid kick, but EVIL quickly grounded Ibushi. EVIL went to work on Ibushi’s bad ankle. He used a leg lock, then stomped on it. The pace slowed, as EVIL continued working over the ankle. 

Ibushi came back with mid kicks, then hit a standing moonsault for a two count. EVIL fought off a straightjacket German attempt, and landed a senton for a nearfall. Ibushi blocked Darkness Falls, hit a powerslam, then landed a moonsault for a two count. 

Ibushi went to the top rope, but EVIL crotched him. EVIL hit a superplex, then used a lariat for a nearfall. EVIL flipped out of a German, then hit his own German. Ibushi no-sold it. They hit simultaneous clotheslines, and both collapsed to the mat. 

They exchanged forearm blows. EVIL went for a Scorpion, but Ibushi rolled to the ropes. Ibushi hit a mid kick. EVIL sent Ibushi into the referee, who took a bump. EVIL hit a mid kick, but Ibushi came back with a high kick for a nearfall. The ref bump didn’t really play into anything. 

Ibushi tried for a Kamigoye, but EVIL caught his legs, and applied the Scorpion Deathlock. Ibushi dragged himself to the ropes, forcing a break. EVIL missed a senton off the top rope, enabling Ibushi to hit a Bomaye to the back of the head. Ibushi hit a second Bomaye to the face, but only got a nearfall. 

EVIL blocked a Kamigoye. Ibushi blocked Everything is EVIL. EVIL hit a lariat, and Ibushi took a flip bump. EVIL hit Darkness Falls for a nearfall, then hit Everything is EVIL for the pin. 

They struggled to get the crowd into the match early, but this built well.

A BLOCK MATCH: KENTA DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI (18:36)

They locked up. KENTA backed Tana into the ropes, then slapped him on the break. Tanahashi returned the favor on the ensuing break. Tana hit a series of strikes, then a senton. Tana played air guitar, but KENTA ended the taunt with a kick to the back of the head. 

Tana pulled KENTA to the floor, then whipped him into the barricade. KENTA sent Tana into the barricade, then kicked him over the fence. KENTA hit a DDT on the floor, then sent Tana into the post. 

KENTA drove his knee into Tana’s neck, then stomped on his head. KENTA used a knee lift for a two count, then used a headscissors on the mat. Tana came back with strikes, but KENTA cut him off with another knee lift. KENTA then used a PK for a nearfall. 

Tana caught an attempted yakuza kick, and hit the first dragon screw of the match. Tana hit a flying forearm, then a somersault senton for a two count. KENTA hit a pair of big boots, then a mid kick. He blocked a slingblade attempt, then hit a powerslam. 

KENTA hit a springboard dropkick, a yakuza kick, then a delayed dropkick in the corner. He hit a double stomp off the top, but only got a two count. Tana slipped out of a GTS, then hit a dragon screw. He followed with an inverted dragon screw on the mat. 

Tana used a cloverleaf. After a struggle, KENTA turned the hold into a small package for a close nearfall. KENTA used a draping DDT, then hit a running knee in the ropes. Tana caught him coming in on another running knee attempt, and hit slingblade. 

They exchanged strikes. KENTA blocked an open hand slap, then hit a discus lariat. Tana countered a GTS attempt into three Twist and Shouts. Tana hit a second slingblade for a nearfall. 

Tana hit a High Fly Flow to a standing KENTA. He went for a second, but KENTA got his knees up. Tanahashi did an awesome sell on the landing. 

KENTA got a sleeper hold applied. He tried for a PK, but Tana caught the leg. KENTA blocked a dragon screw, then hit the PK. KENTA hit the GTS — and got the pin. A very good main event. 

KENTA offered a handshake after the match, but Tanahashi refused it. 

KENTA cut a promo to close the show. He said he came to NJPW to win the G1. He told the fans to remember his face, and remember his name, KENTA. 

G1 STANDINGS

A BLOCK

  • Kazuchika Okada 4
  • KENTA 4
  • Lance Archer 4
  • SANADA 2
  • Bad Luck Fale 2
  • EVIL 2
  • Will Ospreay 2
  • Kota Ibushi 0
  • Zack Sabre Jr. 0
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi 0

B BLOCK

  • Hirooki Goto 2
  • Tomohiro Ishii 2
  • Toru Yano 2
  • Jon Moxley 2
  • Juice Robinson 2
  • Shingo Takagi 0
  • Taichi 0
  • Tetsuya Naito 0
  • Jeff Cobb 0
  • Jay White 0

NJPW G1 Climax 29 night two results: Goto vs. White, Ishii vs. Cobb

Posted on by Ethan Renner

G1 Climax 29 continued today in Tokyo, with the B Block taking center stage. 

The show was well-paced — and it featured a couple of customary opening night upsets. Raise your hand if you had Toru Yano defeating Tetsuya Naito in your picks. 

Here are the full results and match recaps from Ota City General Gymnasium:

EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, WILL OSPREAY & YUYA UEMURA

Ibushi and EVIL kicked things off. Ibushi posted a photo of his swollen ankle on social media the other day. You would never know he was hurt otherwise. He hit a series of kicks, then broke out a standing moonsault. He hit the ropes, then started to sell the ankle, and LIJ went to work on him. 

BUSHI and EVIL worked over Ibushi in their corner. EVIL tried for Darkness Falls, but Ibushi slid out, hit a mid kick, then tagged Ospreay. 

Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio on SANADA. They did a series of teases of their signature spots. SANADA hit his leapfrog dropkick, but Ospreay countered with a double handspring kick to BUSHI and SANADA. 

Uemura got a tag. He connected with a back elbow to BUSHI, then applied a crab. BUSHI reached the ropes for a break. Uemura tried for a double underhook suplex, but BUSHI avoided it. 

LIJ tripled up on Uemura. BUSHI hit a backstabber for a near fall. Uemura used a backslide for a near fall. He hit the ropes, but ran right into a codebreaker. BUSHI pinned Uemura. 

EVIL went after Ibushi after the bell, posting his bad ankle.

This was effective in setting up both Ibushi vs. EVIL and Ospreay vs. SANADA. 

BAD LUCK FALE & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED LANCE ARCHER & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU 

The smaller men were just here to be thrown around by Archer and Fale, which was a nice touch. Fale and Archer faced off at the outset and fought to a stalemate. They hit stereo chokeslams. Archer hit a Pounce on Owens. Kanemaru spit whiskey mist in Fale’s eyes. 

The match broke down, with Fale and Archer brawling around ringside. Kanemaru and Owens were left in the ring. Kanemaru hit a DDT for a near fall. He tried for Deep Impact, but Owens avoided it. Owens followed with a package piledriver for the pin. 

After this, I am actually intrigued by the upcoming Archer vs. Fale match. 

KENTA, CLARK CONNORS & KARL FREDERICKS DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI, SHOTA UMINO & REN NARITA

Connors and Fredericks are students at the NJPW LA Dojo. Both looked very good here. 

Tanahashi and KENTA face off tomorrow, and they had a pull-apart before the opening bell.

Connors and Narita started off with some mat work. Umino and Fredericks were in next, trading headlocks and shoulder tackles. Umino hit a back elbow for a one count, while Fredericks used a scoop slam for one of his own. 

Fredericks and Connors used a double team to take control of the match. KENTA got a tag and continued working over Umino. Tanahashi got a hot tag. He hit a flying forearm, then used a somersault senton for a near fall. 

Tana went for a slingblade, but KENTA blocked it. Tana blocked a GTS attempt. The match broke down. Tana used a cloverleaf on KENTA, but Connors broke it up. KENTA slapped Tana, then Tana hit a dragon screw. 

After a double down, Fredericks and Narita tagged back in. Narita hit a vertical suplex for a near fall. He used a leg lace into a scorpion, but Connors saved. 

While KENTA and Tana brawled on the outside, Narita hit Connors with a belly-to-belly. Fredericks hit a dropkick, a spinebuster, then kipped up. He used a single-leg crab — and Narita tapped. 

ZACK SABRE JR. & MINORU SUZUKI DEFEATED YOSHI-HASHI & KAZUCHIKA OKADA

Sabre and Okada began with a short, intense sequence. Sabre tied up Okada on the mat, but Okada came back with a back elbow. YH and Suzuki tagged in — and things quickly devolved into a ringside brawl. 

Suzuki threw YH into the barricade, then hit him with pieces of the barricade. YH beat the count back inside, where Suzuki peppered him with kicks. Sabre and Suzuki worked over YH’s arm. YH came back with a clothesline to Suzuki, into a double down. 

Okada and Sabre got tags. Sabre tried for an octopus, while Okada tried for an air raid crash. After a struggle, Sabre finally got the octopus, but YH saved. Okada fought off another octopus attempt with a hip toss, then hit a dropkick. 

YH tagged in. He hit a clothesline, his running chop, then a vertical suplex on Sabre. Okada and YH double-teamed Sabre. YH hit a headhunter off the top for a near fall. YH used a lariat to make a cover, but Suzuki made the save. 

While Suzuki and Okada brawled to the floor, Sabre used an armbar on YH for the submission. 

Okada and Sabre are going to tear the house down tomorrow. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED SHINGO TAKAGI (14:42)

They started off exchanging shoulder blocks and strikes. Juice went for a leapfrog, but Shingo cut him off. Juice rolled to the apron. Shingo pulled him to the outside, then hit a DDT on the floor. Back inside, Shingo used a chinlock. 

Juice fought out of the hold with strikes. They traded strikes and chops. Shingo hit a double sledge to the chest, then clotheslined Juice over the top to the floor. Shingo teased a dive, but Juice cut him off with a spear through the ropes. 

Juice hit a spinebuster, then climbed to the top rope. He hit a high cross for a near fall. Shingo fought out of a Juice Box, but missed with a follow-up lariat. Juice hit a full nelson bomb for a two count. 

Shingo countered the Left Hand of God with a lariat. They traded corner clotheslines. Juice went for a cannonball, but Shingo slipped out of the way. Shingo connected with a wheelbarrow German for a two count. 

Shingo went for noshigami. Juice reversed it into a Juice Box, and Shingo rolled to the corner. Juice hit a cannonball, then sat Shingo on the top rope. Juice hit a headbutt, then a superplex into a jackhammer for a near fall. 

Juice went for Pulp Friction, but Shingo escaped, then hit a sliding lariat. They hit simultaneous lariats twice. They traded strikes. Shingo hit a Saito suplex, but Juice no-sold it, then hit a lariat. 

Juice went for Juice Box, but Shingo countered with noshigami. Shingo then hit the Pumping Bomber for an awesome near fall. 

Juice used a roll-up for a near fall, then hit two Left Hand of Gods. He followed with Pulp Friction — and got the 1-2-3. This was an excellent match. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JON MOXLEY DEFEATED TAICHI (7:36)

Taichi jumped Moxley as he made his entrance through the crowd. Taichi used a chair, then hit an axe bomber on the floor. They entered the ring for the first time, where Taichi hit a buzzsaw kick for a near fall. 

Taichi took his pants off, then hit an enzuigiri. Moxley used a sunset flip for his first offensive move of the match. He followed with chops and strikes in the corner. Moxley sent Taichi outside with a low dropkick, then hit a suicide dive. 

Moxley pulled a table from under the ring. He deposited Taichi through the table with a uranage. Back inside, Moxley pulled a kneepad down, then hit a running knee for a near fall. 

Taichi sent Moxley into the referee, who took a bump to the floor. Miho Abe slid a chair to Taichi. Moxley grabbed the chair and threw it into Taichi. Taichi reversed a Death Rider attempt into a Gedo clutch for a near fall. 

Moxley popped up, hit Death Rider, and picked up the pin. A fun sprint. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TORU YANO DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO (3:43)

Yano was frustrated with how long it took Naito to take his entrance gear off. Naito kept his T-shirt on, so Yano decided to wrestle in a shirt as well. 

Yano looked to lock up, but Naito kept backing off. Yano tried to untie a turnbuckle pad, but Naito cut him off. Naito pulled a corner pad off, but Yano cut him off. 

Naito pulled Yano’s shirt over his face, then used a schoolboy for a near fall. Naito tried to use the corner pad, but Red Shoes jumped in and took it away. 

They pulled each other’s hair. Yano pulled Red Shoes’s shirt over his face, then hit a low blow. Yano pulled Naito’s shirt over his face, then rolled him up for the upset. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED JEFF COBB (18:33)

Cobb scored an early knockdown off a shoulder tackle. Ishii countered with an extended series of chops and elbows in the corner. Cobb’s chest turned red from all the chops. 

Cobb hit some chops, but Ishii countered with three headbutts. Cobb hit a crazy release belly-to-belly throw, then landed a spinning back suplex for a two count. 

They exchanged short forearm strikes, which the crowd loved. Cobb teased going down, but instead hit a short right hand, ending the exchange. Cobb sent Ishii into the buckle, but Ishii rebounded with a shoulder tackle. 

Ishii hit a vertical suplex. He covered, but only got a one count. Cobb deadlifted Ishii out of the lateral press. Cobb hit a vertical suplex, then hit a standing moonsault for a two count. 

Cobb demanded that Ishii stand up. Ishii tried to get up, but collapsed. Cobb hit a series of right hands. Ishii fired up and no-sold a series of strikes. Ishii stepped right into a series of elbows and no-sold all of them. 

Ishii hit a clothesline in the corner, then placed Cobb on the top rope. Ishii hit a superplex. Cobb stood right up, no-sold a lariat, then hit his own lariat. Cobb placed Ishii on the top rope and hit a superplex as well. Cobb covered and scored a near fall. 

They exchanged strikes until Cobb dropped Ishii with a headbutt to the chest. Cobb hit a traditional piledriver for another near fall. 

Cobb teased the Tour of the Islands while Ishii teased a brainbuster. Ishii hit a backdrop suplex. He went for a lariat in the corner, but Cobb caught him with a uranage. Ishii no-sold it and hit a suplex. Cobb no-sold that. Cobb hit a suplex — Ishii no-sold that. The sequence ended with Ishii dropping Cobb with a clothesline. 

Ishii went for a sliding lariat, but Cobb caught him. Ishii fought Cobb off, then hit a dragon suplex. Ishii hit a lariat, and Cobb took a flip bump. Ishii covered, but Cobb kicked out at one. Cobb hit a lariat. 

Cobb went for Tour of the Islands, but his back gave out. Ishii hit a sliding lariat for a near fall. Cobb countered out of a brainbuster. They traded headbutts. 

Ishii got neck control, then hit the vertical drop brainbuster. This was finally enough to put Cobb down — and Ishii covered for the victory. 

A great performance by both guys. I’m not the biggest Cobb supporter, but he more than held up his end of the bargain here. Ishii, meanwhile, remains one of the best wrestlers alive. 

B BLOCK MATCH: HIROOKI GOTO DEFEATED JAY WHITE (21:07)

White stalled early on. He gave Gedo a chair and told him to sit beyond the barricade, as he was confident that he could take Goto on his own. 

White finally engaged Goto with a side headlock. Goto sent White over the top rope with a clothesline. Goto took the fight outside and sent White into the barricade. As White got back in the ring, Gedo grabbed Goto’s leg, allowing White to recover. 

White dropped Goto on the apron with a gutbuster. They teased a countout, but Goto made it back in. White took Goto back to the floor, then slammed him into the barricade and ring frame. Back inside, Goto hit some slaps to the chest. White hit a neckbreaker for a near fall. 

White worked over Goto’s neck with elbows. Goto came back with a spinning clothesline. Goto hit a clothesline in the corner. White fought off an ushigoroshi, but Goto hit a mid kick, a spinning wheel kick, and a Saito suplex. 

Goto hit a clothesline in the corner off a misdirection spot. White came back with a DDT. White hit two rolling head-and-arm suplexes. He tried for a third, but Goto initially blocked it. After a struggle, White hit a suplex into the buckle.

White then used a Blade Buster for a near fall. 

They exchanged strikes. White got the better of it with uppercuts. They did a crazy misdirection sequence, ending with White hitting a Saito suplex. That ruled. 

White hit a clothesline, then blocked a headbutt. He slapped Goto, taunting him. White hit a uranage, which Goto sold as though he had been killed. White started jawing with Red Shoes, allowing Goto to pop up and hit a lariat. 

Goto hit an ushigoroshi. He fired up, but this time it was White’s turn to play possum. White rolled to the ropes, so Goto wasn’t able to go for a GTR. 

White jumped up. They traded strikes. Goto hit a big headbutt, then hit the inverted GTR. He covered, but only got a two count. 

Goto went for a second GTR, but White fought it off. Goto fought out of a sleeper suplex. He grabbed White by the hair, then hit a series of headbutts. Goto hit a final cut. Gedo jumped in the ring with brass knuckles, but quickly begged off. 

Goto hit Shouten Kai for a near fall at the twenty minute mark. Goto hit an ushigoroshi for another near fall. He hit a mid kick, then hit the GTR for the 1-2-3. 

The story they told here was that this is a new, more vicious Hirooki Goto who is willing to bend the rules if he has to. These guys have wrestled a lot over the last year and a half. This may have been the best of their matches together. 

Standings —

A Block

  • Kazuchika Okada: 2
  • Lance Archer: 2
  • Bad Luck Fale: 2
  • SANADA: 2
  • KENTA: 2
  • EVIL: 0
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 0
  • Will Ospreay: 0
  • Kota Ibushi: 0
  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 0

B Block

  • Hirooki Goto: 2
  • Tomohiro Ishii: 2
  • Toru Yano: 2
  • Jon Moxley: 2
  • Juice Robinson: 2
  • Shingo Takagi: 0
  • Taichi: 0
  • Tetsuya Naito: 0
  • Jeff Cobb: 0
  • Jay White: 0

VIDEO: Pre-NJPW G1 Climax 29 press conference

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ahead of the start of this year’s tournament, NJPW is holding their annual pre-G1 Climax press conference today.

The press conference is taking place at the Bob Duncan Center in Arlington, Texas and will feature comments from the wrestlers in the G1. Jon Moxley won’t be in attendance at the press conference or taking part in the opening night of the tournament due to his deal with AEW.

The G1 will begin at the American Airlines Center in Dallas tomorrow (July 6), with the show featuring A Block tournament matches. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA, SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr., EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale, and Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer are set for the show.

Tomorrow’s show will air live on AXS TV in the United States at 6 p.m. Eastern time and will be live on New Japan World elsewhere.

The first set of B Block tournament matches are taking place at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo on Saturday, July 13. Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb, Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano, Moxley vs. Taichi, and Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson will be the first matches in the B Block.

The G1 will conclude with three straight nights at Budokan Hall from August 10-12.

Today’s press conference will stream live below starting at 1 p.m. Eastern:

NJPW reveals undercard matches for G1 Climax 29

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After revealing the tournament schedule for this summer’s G1 Climax, NJPW has also announced the undercard matches that will be taking place on the tour.

The tournament begins at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on July 6 and concludes with three straight nights at Budokan Hall in Tokyo from August 10-12. NJPW has announced the undercards up until the tournament finals.

The undercards will feature tag matches that will build to the tournament bouts for the next show.

Two of the Young Lions from NJPW’s Dojo in California will be in action on the G1 tour, with Clark Connors and Karl Fredericks teaming with KENTA.

Here’s the full schedule for the tournament:

July 6 (A Block tournament matches, Dallas, Texas) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA
  • SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer
  • Jushin Thunder Liger, Juice Robinson & Toru Yano vs. BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jay White & Chase Owens
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Shota Umino vs. Jeff Cobb & Ren Narita
  • SHO & YOH vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa

July 13 (B Block, Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo) —

  • Jay White vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
  • Jon Moxley vs. Taichi
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson
  • Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
  • Lance Archer & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
  • Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Yuya Uemura vs. EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI

July 14 (A Block, Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo) —

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
  • Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Will Ospreay vs. SANADA
  • Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Jeff Cobb & Ren Narita vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
  • Juice Robinson, Toa Henare & Yota Tsuji vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura

July 15 (B Block, Sapporo) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
  • Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Toru Yano
  • Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Tomoaki Honma, Toa Henare & Ren Narita vs. EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI
  • Kota Ibushi, Jushin Thunder Liger & Shota Umino vs. Will Ospreay, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura

July 18 (A Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • EVIL vs. SANADA
  • KENTA vs. Lance Archer
  • Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Toru Yano, Tomoaki Honma & Ren Narita vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Juice Robinson, Toa Henare & Yota Tsuji vs. Jeff Cobb, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Tomohiro Ishii & Yuya Uemura vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino

July 19 (B Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Jay White vs. Toru Yano
  • Juice Robinson vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi
  • Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Will Ospreay & Toa Henare
  • Kota Ibushi, KENTA & Clark Connors vs. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tomoaki Honma vs. Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Bad Luck Fale & Chase Owens

July 20 (A Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
  • Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA
  • KENTA vs. EVIL
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Lance Archer
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI & Ren Narita vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
  • Jeff Cobb, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano & Yuya Uemura vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Juice Robinson & Yota Tsuji vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino

July 24 (B Block, Hiroshima) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Jay White vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi
  • Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano
  • Kazuchika Okada, YOSHI-HASHI & Toa Henare vs. KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino vs. Kota Ibushi & Ren Narita
  • EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki
  • Will Ospreay, Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens

July 27 (A Block, Nagoya) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. KENTA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
  • Will Ospreay vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Lance Archer
  • Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii
  • Juice Robinson, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Jeff Cobb, Ren Narita & Yota Tsuji vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

July 28 (B Block, Nagoya) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
  • Jay White vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA & Karl Fredericks vs. EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI
  • Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI & Shota Umino vs. Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Ren Narita vs. Yuya Uemura

July 30 (A Block, Takamatsu) —

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
  • KENTA vs. SANADA
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
  • Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb & Toa Henare vs. Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI
  • Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Toru Yano & Ren Narita vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Tomoaki Honma & Yuya Uemura vs. Hirooki Goto, YOSHI-HASHI & Yota Tsuji

August 1 (B Block, Fukuoka) —

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Jay White vs. Taichi
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jon Moxley vs. Toru Yano
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI vs. SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare
  • Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki vs. Lance Archer & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens

August 3 (A Block, Osaka) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Will Ospreay vs. EVIL
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Lance Archer
  • KENTA vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Jon Moxley & Shota Umino vs. Jay White & Chase Owens
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Toru Yano, Jeff Cobb & Tomoaki Honma
  • Juice Robinson & Toa Henare vs. Ren Narita & Yota Tsuji

August 4 (B Block, Osaka) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Jay White
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Juice Robinson vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano
  • Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI vs. KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Tomoaki Honma vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI vs. Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki
  • Toa Henare & Yuya Uemura vs. Shota Umino & Ren Narita

August 7 (A Block, Hamamatsu) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Will Ospreay vs. KENTA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • SANADA vs. Lance Archer
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Jeff Cobb & Ren Narita vs. Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI
  • Juice Robinson, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino
  • Toru Yano, Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru

August 8 (B Block, Yokohama) —

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jay White vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jon Moxley vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Toru Yano vs. Taichi
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Toa Henare
  • KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer & Minoru Suzuki
  • SANADA, EVIL & BUSHI vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura

August 10 (A Block, Budokan Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay
  • KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • EVIL vs. Lance Archer
  • SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI vs. Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Taichi, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Toru Yano & Tomoaki Honma vs. Jeff Cobb & Toa Henare
  • Juice Robinson & Ren Narita vs. Jon Moxley & Shota Umino

August 11 (B Block, Budokan Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White
  • Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
  • Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
  • Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare vs. KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
  • EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI vs. Bad Luck Fale, Yujiro Takahashi & Chase Owens
  • Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura

August 12 (Budokan Hall, Tokyo) —

  • A Block winner vs. B Block winner in the G1 finals

Jon Moxley to miss G1 Climax opening day, press conference

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW announced tonight that Jon Moxley won’t be a part of the G1 Climax opening day card in Dallas, Texas.

They wrote the following this evening on their website: “Jon Moxley has been confirmed as a participant of G1 CLIMAX 29. Unfortunately, Moxley will miss the G1 CLIMAX 29 Opening Day taking place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX on July 6, 2019. Additionally, he will not be in attendance at the G1 CLIMAX 29 Press Conference taking place on July 5, 2019. Moxley will join the G1 tour on July 13 in Tokyo.”

Moxley had not been advertised for the show prior to tonight’s announcement. He will return to New Japan on July 13, when he faces Taichi in his first G1 Climax tournament match.

The G1 Climax opening day card will feature action from the A Block, as Hiroshi Tanahashi will battle Kazuchika Okada in the main event. The G1 Climax 29 Showcase, which will feature a press conference and meet and greets, will take place the day prior.

NJPW announces tournament match schedule for G1 Climax 29

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has revealed the full tournament match schedule for this summer’s G1 Climax.

The tournament will open with an A Block show at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on July 6. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada will face off in their first singles match against each other in the United States. Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA, SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr., EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale, and Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer are also set for Dallas.

The first B Block show will take place at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo on July 13. Jon Moxley vs. Taichi, Jay White vs. Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb, Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano, and Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson are set.

From August 10-12, the G1 will conclude with three straight nights at Tokyo’s Budokan Hall. The A Block finals are taking place on August 10, with Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay, SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale, EVIL vs. Lance Archer, and KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr. as the tournament matches.

The B Block finals are on August 11 and will have Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White, Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi.

On August 12, the winner of the A Block will take on the winner of the B Block in the tournament finals.

Here’s the full list of tournament matches:

July 6 (A Block, Dallas, Texas) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • Kota Ibushi vs. KENTA
  • SANADA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • EVIL vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer

July 13 (B Block, Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo) —

  • Jon Moxley vs. Taichi
  • Jay White vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Toru Yano
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson

July 14 (A Block, Ota City General Gymnasium, Tokyo) —

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
  • Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer
  • Kota Ibushi vs. EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Will Ospreay vs. SANADA

July 15 (B Block, Sapporo) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Taichi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Jay White vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Juice Robinson
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Toru Yano

July 18 (A Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Kota Ibushi vs. Will Ospreay
  • EVIL vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • KENTA vs. Lance Archer

July 19 (B Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Jon Moxley vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Taichi
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Jay White vs. Toru Yano
  • Juice Robinson vs. Jeff Cobb

July 20 (A Block, Korakuen Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay
  • KENTA vs. EVIL
  • Kota Ibushi vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Lance Archer
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bad Luck Fale

July 24 (B Block, Hiroshima) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jay White vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Taichi
  • Juice Robinson vs. Toru Yano

July 27 (A Block, Nagoya) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. KENTA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. EVIL
  • Will Ospreay vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Lance Archer

July 28 (B Block, Nagoya) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano
  • Jay White vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson

July 30 (A Block, Takamatsu) —

  • KENTA vs. SANADA
  • Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale

August 1 (B Block, Fukuoka) —

  • Jay White vs. Taichi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Toru Yano
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Juice Robinson
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Jeff Cobb

August 3 (A Block, Osaka) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. SANADA
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Will Ospreay vs. EVIL
  • Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Lance Archer
  • KENTA vs. Bad Luck Fale

August 4 (B Block, Osaka) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Jon Moxley vs. Jay White
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Jeff Cobb
  • Juice Robinson vs. Taichi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Toru Yano

August 7 (A Block, Hamamatsu) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. EVIL
  • Will Ospreay vs. KENTA
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • SANADA vs. Lance Archer

August 8 (B Block, Yokohama) —

  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Toru Yano vs. Taichi
  • Jay White vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jon Moxley vs. Hirooki Goto
  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jeff Cobb

August 10 (A Block, Budokan Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Will Ospreay
  • SANADA vs. Bad Luck Fale
  • EVIL vs. Lance Archer
  • KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

August 11 (B Block, Budokan Hall, Tokyo) —

  • Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White
  • Jon Moxley vs. Juice Robinson
  • Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Shingo Takagi
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi

August 12 (Budokan Hall, Tokyo) —

  • A Block winner vs. B Block winner in the G1 finals

NJPW notes: Jr. title match set for MSG, G1 schedule announced

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW is planning out its next few months as a Jr. title match has been set for the MSG show while releasing their schedule for this summer’s G1 Climax 29 tournament.

After retaining the IWGP Jr. title at last night’s anniversary show, Taiji Ishimori called out anyone from ROH for a match at the G1 Supercard. Dragon Lee, who appeared earlier in the show as part of a undercard tag match, came out and accepted the challenge, saying that while he is not part of New Japan or Ring of Honor, he will represent CMLL at Madison Square Garden. The match hasn’t been made official by New Japan, but that will likely change in the next few days.

The anniversary show also had a segment showing dates for this summer’s G1 Climax. The tour will start on July 6 in Dallas, Texas with the last three nights taking place at Budokan Hall. Here is the complete list:

  • July 6: American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas
  • July 13, 14: Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo
  • July 15: Hokkai Kitayell in Hokkaido
  • July 18, 19, 20: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo
  • July 24: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall in Hiroshima
  • July 27, 28: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Aichi
  • July 30: Takamatsu City General Gymnasium in Kagawa
  • August 1: Fukuoka Citizen Gymnasium in Fukuoka
  • August 3, 4: Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium in Osaka
  • August 7: Hamamatsu Arena in Shizuoka
  • August 8: Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium in Kanagawa
  • August 10, 11, 12: Budokan Hall in Tokyo

NJPW obtains US visas, reveals ticket info for G1 show in Dallas

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NJPW has confirmed that they have visas for their Japanese wrestlers to wrestle in the United States as they prepare for the G1 Climax 29 Opening Day this summer.

In a simple statement on New Japan’s site, the company wrote “New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Japanese wrestlers have obtained their visas for the United States. We truly appreciate the understanding and support of our fans.”

The company also confirmed that tickets will go on sale for their G1 Climax 29 Opening Day event in Dallas, Texas on March 13 starting at 12 p.m. Central time. Prices will start at $50 and will go as high as $300.

Due to the United States government shutdown that started in December and ended a month later, New Japan was unable to get visas in time for shows that took place during the New Beginning tour earlier this month. As a result, a number of planned matches featuring the likes of Tomohiro Ishii, Yuji Nagata and Hirooki Goto had to be scrapped. ROH and other local talent were brought in instead for the shows.

First night of NJPW G1 Climax 29 taking place in United States

Posted on by Joseph Currier

This year’s G1 Climax will be kicking off in the United States.

Between the Wrestle Kingdom 13 pre-show match and the start of the main card, New Japan Pro Wrestling revealed the schedule for some of their upcoming big shows. That included significant announcements concerning this year’s G1, with the first show of the tournament set to take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on July 6.

NJPW also announced some G1 dates for Japan. There will be shows in Otaku on July 13 and July 14, along with an event in Hokkaido on July 15. The tournament will again conclude with three straight nights at Budokan Hall, with those shows taking place on August 10, August 11, and August 12.

Later in the Wrestle Kingdom 13 broadcast, NJPW confirmed another event for their New Beginning USA tour. The additional show will take place in Nashville, Tennessee on February 2. The other New Beginning USA tour stops are in Los Angeles, California on January 30 and Charlotte, North Carolina on February 1. Kevin Kelly noted that additional tickets for the show in Los Angeles will be made available soon.

The New Beginning USA shows will feature young lions from the NJPW dojo in California and wrestlers who aren’t on the New Beginning tour in Japan.