Nine tournament matches are set for night two of NJPW’s G1 Climax 34.
In the main event, Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Yota Tsuji will face Bullet Club’s David Finlay in a B Block matchup.
Tsuji and Finlay have squared off once before in singles competition in their careers, with Finlay scoring the victory.
18 of 20 competitors will be in action on tonight’s card, with B Block’s Konosuke Takeshita and Jeff Cobb the only tournament wrestlers not taking part in today’s show. As with yesterday, every bout in today’s lineup is a tournament match.
The full card for Sunday’s show:
- B Block: Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay
- A Block: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- A Block: Shota Umino vs. Shingo Takagi
- B Block: Hirooki Goto vs. Yuya Uemura
- A Block: Jake Lee vs. EVIL
- B Block: El Phantasmo vs. Ren Narita
- A Block: Great-O-Khan vs. Gabe Kidd
- B Block: Oleg Boltin vs. HENARE
- A Block: SANADA vs. Callum Newman
**********
Recommended Matches
HENARE vs. Oleg Boltin – This was a rad hoss match. I really can’t get enough of Oleg.
Yuya Uemura vs. Hirooki Goto – This is probably the match with best executed narrative of the tournament so far. It also seems as if Uemura is also finding his footing again, so that’s exciting.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tetsuya Naito – This is one of the better Naito matches as of late. It’s exactly the kind of match he needs to be working. It’s filled with slick sequences and felt like it could end any moment.
Yota Tsuji vs. David Finlay – If you enjoy main event New Japan, this is for you. It built to a crescendo filled with reversals and potential finishes.
SANADA defeated Callum Newman
SANADA worked a somewhat meaner match here tonight than usual, building on his shocking sub-five-minute loss from last night. The match itself was a fine little thing. I would say it outperformed my expectations.
Newman and SANADA opened the match with a basic feeling-out process until a dropkick sent SANADA to the floor. Newman attempted a dive in follow-up but missed, allowing SANADA to answer with a magic screw. He then dropped Newman on the barricade before bringing the match back to the ring.
In the ring, Newman connected with a stomp to the back that opened SANADA up to a bit of offense. It only lasted a moment, though, as SANADA cut him off with a magic screw, bringing the match back into the hands of the former World’s champion.
SANADA hit a shining wizard but missed the rounding body press, leaving Newman free to answer with a sudden knee strike. Newman followed up with a quick dropkick in the corner, but the double stomp follow-up whiffed. SANADA tried to reply with a shining wizard, but that missed, too. After Newman overshot another kick, SANDA managed to lock in skull end, but Newman reversed into a cutter. Newman attempted to close with the OsCutter, but SANADA cut him off, landed Deadfall, and pinned him.
SANADA secures his first win of the tournament, putting him at 2 points.
HENARE defeats Oleg Boltin
This match was great. It was super simple, to the point, and fantastically executed.
A powerful collar-and-elbow opened this match. Once that proved insufficient, they moved to trading strikes. Once that wasn’t enough, they moved to tackles. Oleg’s tackle was enough to knock HENARE to the floor, securing the first lead of the match.
HENARE answered Oleg’s lead with high leg kicks. Once Oleg fell to his knees, HENARE took off his head with a kick to the jaw. HENARE then placed Oleg in the corner and unloaded with more strikes. Oleg answered with a powerful slam, which forced HENARE into the corner.
Oleg threw HENARE across the ring before attempting his finish, but HENARE slipped free. HENARE then landed a kick from the rope, knocking Oleg to the mat. HENARE followed up with a disgusting knee strike that rattled Oleg’s jaw.
With the finish in sight, HENARE waited in the corner, but somehow, Oleg cut him off with a dropkick. Oleg responded with a kamikaze, scoring a convincing nearfall. To my knowledge, this was the first time someone has kicked out of that move.
Having survived Oleg’s finish, HENARE slipped free of the second attempt, leading to a struggle for control. HENARE tried for a submission but couldn’t get it; instead, a back-and-forth strike battle followed. HENARE won out with a strong kick and a flying headbutt. He then landed Streets of Rage and pinned Oleg to win the match.
HENARE now leads B Block with 4 points.
Gabe Kidd defeated Great-O-Khan
I almost enjoyed this match, but it had too many issues in the end to look past. O-Khan’s performance was above average, and Kidd was decent. The structure of the match really hurt it, though. There was just far too much going on.
Kidd dared O-Khan to wrestle as the match opened but caught him with a few strikes as soon as there was an opening. O-Khan answered Kidd’s cuteness with a throw, a suplex, and a lariat that knocked Kidd to the floor. O-Khan then drove Kidd into the barricade, daring Kidd to a brawl instead of a match classic, to which Kidd accepted.
Kidd and O-Khan brawled from one side of the crowd to the other. By the time they emerged, Kidd had control. He then led O-Khan back to the ring, where he drove O-Khan into the post before calling out Hiromu Takahashi.
As soon as the match returned to the ring, O-Khan dumped Kidd to the floor. O-Khan landed a plancha, securing a lead before throwing Kidd into a barricade and a sea of chairs. O-Khan then tied up Kidd with chairs before dragging him back to the ring.
Back in the ring, a suplex attempt led to both men falling over the top rope and crashing over the top rope back to the floor. As the count began to climb, the men started trading strikes, meandering away from the ring. Once the count hit 19, they sprinted together to beat the referee.
Back inside, they traded strikes and German suplexes before O-Khan hit a GFO to establish a lead. He then tried for the eliminator but failed, leading to a scramble for control. In the end, Kidd won out with a massive lariat that won him the match.
Kidd is on the board with 2 points.
Ren Narita defeated El Phantasmo
ELP has lost all his friends, and he is sad. That is the story of his G1.
A quick boot from Narita opened this match, catching the depressed ELP off guard. He managed to rebound with a dropkick to reset the match in his favor.
After knocking Narita to the mat and landing a plancha, ELP started trying for more and more dives. Eventually, ELP missed, opening the door back up for Narita. Narita whipped ELP into the barricade and hit him with a chair after distracting the referee.
Back in the ring, Narita began to brutalize ELP’s leg. As ELP fought back through the attack, he continued to use acrobatic offense while attempting to sell the damage done to his limb (until he fired up and began jumping on it).
After stomping on Narita in the corner, ELP grabbed Narita’s pushup bar. Narita dared him to use it. After thinking about it, he decided not to. Narita tried to follow up with the Double Cross, but ELP reversed. Narita still maintained control, though with a quick guillotine.
Narita climbed to the top rope, where ELP cut him off with a rana. ELP followed up with a Thunderkiss 86 for a nearfall. Before he could follow up, the referee was shoved to the ground. Narita then hit Double Cross and won the match.
Ren Narita has slipped his first 2 points.
EVIL defeated Jake Lee
Ah, this is what I’ve come to expect from Jake Lee and EVIL. This match was slow, tedious, and filled with cheap cheating. This was horrible.
Before the action could begin, EVIL offered Lee a “Too Sweet” in traditional Bullet Club fashion. It looked like Lee would accept, but instead, he poked EVIL and Dick Togo in the eyes, Three Stooges style. He then threw EVIL to the floor and threatened to stomp Togo below the belt before letting him go.
Once the match officially began, Lee choked EVIL against the rope, leading to him fleeing almost imidatly. When Lee followed him, EVIL whipped him into the barricade and choked him with cables. Back in the ring, EVIL maintained his lead by distracting the referee and utilizing Togo.
After minutes on the back foot, Lee fought back with a Boston crab. This led to a fake bell ring, a ref bump, and Togo hitting the ring. Lee managed to fight through the interference as the referee recovered, leading to a chokeslam for a nearfall. During the scuffle, EVIL managed to rake Lee’s eyes, leading to him missing the Face Break Shot. Once he missed his finish, Togo threw powder in his eyes, EVIL landed Everything is Evil and pinned Lee to win the match.
EVIL is now the A Block leader with 4 points.
Yuya Uemura defeated Hirooki Goto
This was a rock-solid generational gap match. Goto tried his best to learn Uemura, but failed.
Goto wrestled Uemura to the ground as the match began, but Uemura held his own in the opening scramble. Goto then tried to ground Uemura with a shoulder tackle, but Uemura fired back with a dropkick. Uemura then placed Goto in the corner, where he unloaded with strikes that forced the referee to become involved. This unsportsmanlike behavior upset Goto, leading to a fiery response filled with harsh strikes.
Goto continued his act of discipline by locking in a Bostin crab in the middle of the ring. Once Uemura escaped, he landed an arm drag and a dropkick to reset the match. Uemura flew too close to the sun again when he climbed to the top rope; Goto avoided his dive and responded with a quick Ushigoroshi to regain his footing once more.
After a strike exchange, Goto hit a GTW for a nearfall. When Goto tried following up with a knee strike, Uemura caught him and answered with a headbutt. He tried for the deadbolt suplex, but Goto reversed, leading to a quick back and forth with both men slipping in and out of each other’s finish. In the end, it was Uemura who was able to hit the deadbolt suplex, which won him the match.
Uemura keeps the pace with 4 points.
Shota Umino defeated Shingo Takagi
I didn’t love this. The mid-match pacing felt sluggish, and it picked up at the end. This was the second-longest match of the tournament so far, and I felt every second.
This match was all Shingo until the final stretch. The narrative was that Umino refused to quit, but Shingo outclassed him in every way.
Umino rushed Shingo as the match began, hitting him with a dropkick and a flurry of forearms in the corner in an attempt to gain an early advantage. Shingo fired back with forearms of his own to fight out of the corner. From here, the pair fought to the apron, where Shingo dropped Umino on his back before whipping him into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Shingo utilized basic holds to wear down Umino. Umino answered with a sudden DDT to the apron. When Umino attempted to follow up, Shingo suplexed him into the corner, retaking control. He then used slightly more impactful offense to stay ahead until Umino landed an exploder suplex from the top rope.
As soon it looked like Shota had a chance, Shingo landed a lariat to retake the lead. This time, he landed a superplex, a sliding lariat, and a senton, all in quick succession. A quick DDT from Umino allowed him another moment to breathe, but again, Shingo responded by driving him into the corner moments later. The pumping bomber that followed was the icing on the cake.
Knowing that the end was in sight, Shingo landed another pumping bomber. He then hit Made in Japan, but Umino kicked out. When he tried for Last of the Dragon but, Umino wiggled free. Umino then managed to hit another DDT to buy even more time.
Shingo managed to hit another partial pumping bomber, but Umino fired back with a half-dragon suplex. Umino then landed Blaze Blade for a nearfall of his own. When Umino tried for Death Rider, Shingo blocked, leading to a quick back and forth. Shingo then ran at Umino; Umino caught him and landed the Death Rider, leaving him with the win.
Umino has earned his first 2 points.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Tetsuya Naito
This was a match that managed to cover Naito’s growing weaknesses exceptionally well. The sequences were slick and smart, and it felt like it could end at any moment. Great stuff.
ZSJ offered Naito a LIJ salute to open the match; Naito responded by spitting in ZSJ’s face. ZSJ then clobbered Naito with some elbows before Naito tried for a quick pin. This led to a sequence of rapid pin attempts from both men, any of which could’ve believably ended the match.
An exchange on the mat that initially favored Naito eventually left ZSJ in control. ZSJ then leveled Naito with uppercuts before returning to some methodical grappling. When Naito tried to challenge ZSJ’s control, ZSJ tied him up in the rope and dragged him to the floor to continue his assault.
A quick hangman’s neckbreaker to the floor put Naito in control for the first time in this match. Naito then turned to the neck, as you would expect. But just as Naito found his groove, he paused, allowing ZSJ to catch him and bring him to the mat.
ZSJ worked over Naito until he was able to land PK. ZSJ tried to follow up with the Zack Driver, but Naito reversed into Destino. This took so much out of both men that it effectively reset the match.
From a standing position, both men began trading strikes. This lasted until Naito dropped ZSJ with elbows to the neck. Two quick pin attempts followed. Once that didn’t work, another short strike exchange happened. Then ZSJ trapped Naito in a pin and won the match.
After the match, ZSJ posed Naito’s belt before he walked to the back.
ZSJ is still undefeated, having defeated the reigning IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and earning his 4th point in A Block.
Yota Tsuji defeated David Finlay
Tonight’s main event opened Tsuji, landing a rana that sent Finlay to the floor and a follow-up rana. Tsuji then whipped Finlay into the barricade to establish a strong lead, which he maintained by locking in a Boston crab.
Finlay spat in Tsuji’s face to buy some separation, which he used to drive Tsuji to the top of the ring post. He then tossed Tsuji across the ring before landing some knee strikes to Tsuji’s midsection. A stomp from Tsuji in the corner seemingly stopped Finlay’s offense, but he quickly responded by shoving Tsuji to the ground. On the outside, Finlay shoved Tsuji into the barricades and threw him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Finlay landed a Dominator for a two-count.
When Finlay tried for Oblivion, Tsuji reversed into a suplex. He then delivered a second stomp. When two stomps proved insufficient, Tsuji tried a third. A brutal knee and a power drive from Tsuji seemingly furthered this lead by setting up the Gene Blast.
When Tsuji attempted tried for his Gene Blast spear, Finlay rolled through and hit Oblivion; Tsuji kicked out. Finlay followed up with three powerbombs, setting up Overkill. When he tried for the Overkill, Tsuji rolled him up, nearly stealing a win. Finlay answered with a lariat.
After five forearms from Finlay, Tsuji threw a headbutt that rocked Finlay. This opened the door for a sudden Gene Blast, but Finlay rolled onto his stomach. Tsuji didn’t waste time, though; he followed his spear with his rope-assisted stomp Malo Crash and pinned Finlay, winning the match.
Tsuji ends the night by getting points on the board. He sits at 2 points.
A Block Standings
EVIL – 4 Points
Zack Sabre Jr. – 4 Points
SANADA – 2 Points
Callum Newman – 2 Points
Gabe Kidd – 2 Points
Jake Lee – 2 Points
Shota Umino – 2 Points
Shingo Takagi – 2 Points
Great-O-Khan – 0 Points
Tetsuya Naito – 0 Points
B Block Standings
HENARE – 4 Points
Yuya Uemura – 4 Points
Oleg Boltin – 2 Points
Ren Narita – 2 Points
Yota Tsuji – 2 Points
Jeff Cobb – 2 Points
Konosuke Takeshita – 2 Points
David Finlay – 0 Points
Hirooki Goto – 0 Points
El Phantasmo – 0 Points
