G1 Climax 34 action continues today with five B Block matches, including Yota Tsuji vs. Ren Narita in the main event.
Tsuji is 2-3 in the tournament with 4 points, while Narita is 3-2 with 6 points. The duo have met seven times previously in singles bouts, with Narita holding a 5-1-1 edge.
3-2 Konosuke Takeshita will take on 2-3 Hirooki Goto in the semi-main event spot on today’s card.
3-2 Jeff Cobb vs. 3-2 HENARE, 3-2 Yuya Uemura vs. 1-4 El Phantasmo, and 2-3 Oleg Boltin/Boltin Oleg vs. 3-2 David Finlay round out today’s G1 Climax tournament bouts.
Today’s undercard features three tag team matches:
- Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. SANADA & TAKA Michinoku
- Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee
- Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shoma Kato & Toru Yano vs. Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Francesco Akira
Today’s show from Dolphin’s Arena in Nagoya streams on NJPW World beginning at 3 a.m. Eastern time.
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Recommended Match
Hirooki Goto vs. Konosuke Takeshita – This is the only thing I would go out of my way to see. If you’re a fan of the all-out style the G1 is known for or high-octane wrestling in general, give this one a watch.
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Undercard Results
Callum Newman, Francesco Akira & Great-O-Khan defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, & Shoma Kato
Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee defeated Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma
Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito defeated SANADA & TAKA Michinoku
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David Finlay defeated Oleg Boltin
I thoroughly enjoyed this match. Oleg was allowed to be the strong-man grappler he needed to be, while Finlay was a smart heel who deserved the win. Good stuff.
Oleg opened the match by wrestling Finlay to the mat. He then turned to tackles before setting up for a gut-wrench suplex that forced Finlay to flee to the floor. When Finlay returned to the ring, he spat in Oleg’s eyes and baited him into an overextension. This allowed Finlay to drive Oleg into the barricade, taking control of the match.
Back in the ring, Finlay took his time, slowly picking apart Oleg with basic, demoralizing offense. When Finlay tried for a more substantial move, Oleg caught him with a sudden drop and a flurry of solid strikes. Oleg’s transition to more significant moves was much more successful than Finlay’s, lasting until he attempted the Boltin Bomb.
After stuffing Boltin’s signature, Finlay delivered an Irish Curse backbreaker for a nearfall. When Finlay tried to follow up, Oleg cut him off with a massive belly-to-belly suplex. Oleg then tried for the Boltin Bomb again, and this time, he hit it.
After Finlay kicked out of the Boltin Bomb, a strike exchange followed. Finlay won out with a lariat off the ropes. Finlay followed up with the Finlay Roll for a nearfall, but Oleg answered with a German suplex. Oleg then hit the Kamikaze once, but Finlay slipped free from the second. Finlay answered Oleg with a powerbomb and the Overkill. He then pinned Oleg to win the match.
This win leaves Finlay with 8 points, making him the leader of B Block.
El Phantasmo defeated Yuya Uemura
This match did basically nothing for me. Even with the high-impact moments, it felt lifeless for basically all of its runtime.
Uemura established an early lead by utilizing arm drags. When ELP tried firing back with chops, Uemura answered with more intense chops of his own. ELP ended Uemura’s advance with a nasty suplex into the ropes that slowed the match to a halt.
After some work to the neck, Uemura began to fight back with more strikes to ELP. Mixed in with his chops, Uemura targeted ELP’s arm, taking him to the mat when the opportunity was available. ELP answered with a rana and a massive tope to end Uemura’s rally. An even more impressive plancha from ELP cemented his lead.
Back in the ring, ELP hit a senton and a moonsault for a nearfall. Uemura answered by wrestling for control of the arm. Uemura then climbed to the top rope, but ELP cut him off with a DDT and a burning hammer. ELP then hit a Thunderkiss 86, but Uemura kicked out.
When ELP attempted the Canadian revolution, Uemura slipped free. ELP held on, leading to a quick exchange of suplexes. Uemura scored a nearfall with a dragon suplex. Uemura, looking to close pulled ELP in for the deadbolt. ELP reversed into a trap pin, stealing a quick win.
This win leaves ELP with 4 points.
Jeff Cobb defeated HENARE
This match was solid but not something I’d go out of my way to see. It was a relatively plotting Cobb performance, which was fine but not extraordinary, especially compared to some of his other work from this tournament.
This match opened with a respectful collar-and-elbow tie-up. A strike exchange and some back-and-forth shoulder checks followed. Cobb, the physically larger man, won out with a leaping tackle, allowing him to launch into his first stent of control.
HENARE landed multiple strikes that seemingly opened a door, but Cobb managed to stay in control for a long time following the opening bell. After delivering a massive superplex to HENARE, Cobb hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall, only furthering his lead.
After an extended period on the back foot, HENARE finally delivered a knee in the corner to gain some footing in this match. He followed up with a powerful sequence of moves, including a Bezerker bomb for a two count.
Cobb answered HENARE’s rally with a German suplex, which HENARE ignored. HENARE then hit Rampage before trying for his finish. Cobb avoided the end and hit a lariat to reset the match in his favor.
When Cobb tried for Tour of the Islands, HENARE slipped free. HENARE then ran at Cobb, but Cobb caught him, leading to the F-5000. Cobb then called HENARE to his feet and delivered Tour of the Islands to win the match.
Cobb joins Finlay at the top of the pack with 8 points.
Hirooki Goto defeated Konosuke Takeshita
This was a bombastic, over-the-top, action-packed match. When you think G1, this kind of match comes to mind.
After some light back and forth, Takeshita hit his Takeshita line to establish an early lead. In follow-up, Takeshita landed a DDT on the floor
and the apron. Back in the ring, Takeshita toyed with Goto, giving him the opportunity to fight back into the match. Goto tried to challenge Takeshita with strikes but ultimately failed, leaving Takeshita with an even more substantial lead.
Goto eventually landed a lariat to reset the match. He followed up with a spinning wheel kick and Saito suplex to gain his own lead, but Takeshita answered with a rana and a tope con hilo to re-establish control. Back in the ring, Takeshita hit his knee strike, but Goto answered with a Ushigoroshi for another proper reset.
Both men traded forearms in the center of the ring until Takeshita could land the blue thunder bomb. Takeshita then positioned Goto on the top rope, but Goto cut him off with a sunset flip from the top. When Goto tried to follow up, Takeshita reversed into a driver and wheelbarrow German. Goto immediately responded with a lariat that knocked Takeshita off his feet.
Goto dropped Takeshita with a kick to the chest and a GTW for a nearfall. When he tried for the finish, Takeshita reversed into the brainbuster. Takeshita tried for his finish, but Goto slipped free, allowing Goto to hit Shouten Kai; Takeshita kicked out. Both men then clonked heads; Takeshita fell, but Goto didn’t. This allowed Goto to hit GTR and pin Takeshita to win the match.
This win puts Goto at 6 points, leaving him positioned in the middle of the pack.
Yota Tsuji defeated Ren Narita
This was bad.
Before the match could even begin, Narita jumped Tsuji. He then threw Tsuji into the barricades and stretched him against the ring post. Narita launched Tsuji into a row of chairs before attacking him with said furniture.
When they finally made it to the ring, Narita began to attack Tsuji’s leg. Tsuji tried to answer Narita’s assault with a rana, but his leg failed him, allowing Narita to lock in a Boston crab. Once the hold was dropped, the leg based attack continued.
A lung blower followed by a suplex left Tsuji in control for the first time. It didn’t take long, though, for Narita to land a pump kick in the corner, allowing him to take the match back to the mat.
Tsuji managed to lock in his own Boston crab to return the favor. The follow-up backbreaker and curb stomp left Tsuji in a relatively strong position. He set up for the Gene Blaster, but Narita caught him, trapping him with a leg lock.
Tsuji dropped Narita with a headbutt and a powerbomb that resulted in a nearfall. Narita answered by driving Tsuji into the referee, hitting Tsuji with his guillotine knee, and grabbing his pushup bar. Tsuji ducked the pushup bar and tried to continue his attack. Narita answered by shoving Tsuji back in the direction of the recovering referee and delivering a low blow. Narita then hit another knee, this time from the second rope, resulting in a false finish.
Narita tried choking Tsuji, but Tsuji returned the favor before delivering a powerbomb. When Tsuji tried for the Gene Blast, he ran into the exposed corner, allowing Narita to target the leg once again. Narita attempted the Double Cross, but Tsuji stuffed it. Tsuji then hit a knee strike and a Gene Blast spear to win the match.
Tsuji also advances to 6 points.
