Tag: Evil

Sakura Genesis 2024 results: Tetsuya Naito holds off Yota Tsuji in Tokyo

Yota Tsuji wanted to usher in a new era of NJPW, but Tetsuya Naito wasn’t ready to let go of the current one yet.

Established star vs. rising talent. Old guard vs. new wave. Teammate vs. teammate. Any way you want to look at it, the main event of NJPW Sakura Genesis 2024 is dripping with intrigue.

Tetsuya Naito always planned to be in this position, defending the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the spring. It’s the culmination of a journey that took him through last year’s G1 Climax to Wrestle Kingdom, where he fulfilled a long-held dream of winning New Japan’s top prize in the main event.

It’s very likely he didn’t expect he’d be facing his LIJ-mate Yota Tsuji in this spot. While a little intramural competition is always acceptable among Los Ingobernables de Japon, Naito has gone on record saying he thought it would be Shingo Takagi, not Tsuji.

Interestingly, the young-ish Yota has already declared something of a throwback title reign if he wins, complete with restoring and then retiring the Intercontinental Championship and then bringing back the old IWGP Heavyweight Championship belt. But it’s also clear a victory for him would mark a true turning of the page for New Japan.

Another title match has a past vs. present vibe when it comes to LIJ, as Takagi will try to claim the NEVER Openweight title from EVIL. For AEW fans who don’t mind staying up late on the busiest wrestling weekend of the year, there’s also a tag team match pitting Jon Moxley and Shota Umino against Ren Narita and Jack Perry.

We’re looking forward to hearing Chris Charlton and special guest Jeff Cobb on the English call, so let’s get into it.

Sakura Genesis 2024 results from Tokyo:

(please scroll down for more details on any match in bold)

  • Kickoff match: Frontier Zone – Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano and Tomohiro Ishii def. 2AW (Ayato Yoshida, Takuro Niki and Chicharito Shoki) by pinfall
  • TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita) def. El Desperado and Ryusuke Taguchi  by pinfall as Fujita pins Taguchi
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi) def. Bullet Club War Dogs (David Finlay and Gedo) by submission as Bushi taps out Gedo
  • Just Five Guys (Douki, Sanada and Yuya Uemura) def. United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb and Callum Newman) by pinfall as Uemura pins Great-O-Khan; after the match, Uemura suplexes Khan and admires the KOPW belt, holding it high above its owner
  • Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney and Clark Connors) def. Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight) and Catch 2/2 (TJP and Francesco Akira) to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship
  • Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) def. Bullet Club (Kenta and Chase Owens) to become the new IWGP Tag Team Champions
  • The field is announced for Best of the Super Juniors 2024, which kicks off May 11, including talent from CMLL, ROH and Pro Wrestling Noah
  • Sho def. Yoh by injury stoppage to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but Kosei Fujita and Douki arrive to declare their interest in challenging Sho, and Douki ends up leaving with the title belt
  • Jon Moxley and Shota Umino def. Jack Perry and Ren Narita by pinfall as Moxley pins Narita after Umino takes a shot from the push-up bar that was intended for Mox
  • Shingo Takagi def. EVIL by pinfall to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion in a wildly overbooked match
  • Shingo gets some brief mic time after his victory, but he and his LIJ teammates are quickly jumped by Gabe Kidd and other War Dogs; Kidd gets on the mic himself and calls the title a joke and Tanahashi an embarrassment, ending by saying “f–k New Japan Pro Wrestling” while vowing to take the title from Shingo
  • Tetsuya Naito def. Yota Tsuji by pinfall to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Yoh vs. Sho comes to an unfortunate quick end, but new challengers for Yoh quickly emerge

Sho is in hot pursuit of his former partner even before the bell rings, desperate to get physical custody of his belt back. But unfortunately, Yoh’s left shoulder looks like it’s dislocated from the first bump he takes, and the match is called to a quick stop.

While the medical team looks at Yoh, Kosei Fujita climbs into the ring. After Yoh is led to the back, Fujita grabs a mic to call Sho the worst champion in history and challenges him for his title. They’re soon joined by Douki, who gets in Fujita’s face and says he’s the one with the buzz right now and deserves a shot first.

Sho gloats about Yoh’s injury and says it shows how tough he is, making it clear he doesn’t want to wrestle either one of them. Fujita hears enough and hits him with a springboard dropkick, holding the title belt up in Douki’s face before laying it back down on the mat.

Fujita heads for the back and Douki decides to leave with the belt, basically taking over for what Yoh had done.

Shota Umino sacrifices himself so Mox can get them a victory

Can’t imagine there will be too much subtlety here, and all four men eagerly pair off and start brawling as soon as the bell rings. Chris Charlton mentions how Perry has “been in the news all week,” an oblique reference to CM Punk giving his side of the story for their altercation at All In London last year.

Umino and Narita end up getting paired off before too long, turning this into something like a proper tag match. The crowd comes to life for Moxley tagging in and running wild on Narita, who is able to escape a bulldog choke with a rope break.

Some fun bumps are taken out on the floor right in front of President Tanahashi. Perry jumps a long way to deliver a top rope elbow, punctuating it with two middle fingers to the crowd before he leaps.

Mox gets to work Narita again, delivering a superplex for a near fall. With the ref distracted, Narita gets the push-up bar into the mix, and Umino takes a shot from it that was intended for Moxley.

That pays off, as Mox is able to hit the Death Rider on Narita to win it for his side.

Shingo Takagi survives the full House of Torture nonsense platter, claims NEVER Openweight title

Chris Charlton and Jeff Cobb frame this as a battle for the soul of the NEVER title after it was painted black by EVIL. House of Torture is up to its usual tricks before the bell even rings, with Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a referee shirt and trying to make himself the official of record.

(Note: It doesn’t work.)

It doesn’t take long for the real ref to take a bump, leading to a chair-swinging battle on the floor that goes in EVIL’s favor. The King of Darkness sneaks more foreign objects into the ring, causing Charlton to grudgingly admire his creativity in cheating.

Shingo eventually gets rolling on offense, foiling all of EVIL’s efforts to avoid more punishment. Takagi’s big superplex is on target but only gets him two.

A rally by EVIL leads up to Darkness Falls, which nearly wins it. We then enter the battle of wills phase, but Yujiro Takahashi sneaks in a chair shot from the floor. Bushi runs down to assist his teammate, though his help is questionable … because it’s Dick Togo under the mask.

The real Bushi arrives but accidentally hits the ref with his mist. That means a House of Torture group beating for Shingo, including “dick to dick contact” as Togo hits Takagi in the crotch.

Shingo takes a Magic Killer and Kanemaru makes a super fast three count. Hiromu runs down in his own referee shirt, so perhaps this match is continuing on. Takagi takes a low blow but hits EVIL with his own finisher, and now Kanemaru is back to fight with Hiromu.

It’s tough to even keep track of the hinjinks now, but Yujiro nails his teammate in the face with powder, and a real referee arrives to count the three after Last of the Dragon. New champ! But wow that was some insanity.

Yota Tsuji shows out but can’t dethrone Tetsuya Naito

No one currently in New Japan gets a reaction during his entrance like Naito, but the fans are definitely divided and might even be slightly favoring Tsuji once the bell finally rings. Charlton and Cobb note that Naito has wrestled more often than anyone else on the NJPW roster so far in 2024, pondering whether he can or should keep up that kind of pace.

Tsuji won’t let Naito do the Tranquilo pose, finally getting himself a smattering of boos. He controls the next few minutes of action, with Cobb suggesting that Naito has rubbed off some on Tsuji.

Yota taunts and spits on the champ, but that brings a rapid response that includes a knee to the back of Tsuji’s neck. A neckbreaker off the apron to the floor won’t make that feel any better.

A headscissors flings Naito half in and half out of the ring, causing the challenger to bail on his plan for a dive. They battle on the apron instead, where Tsuji hits part of a curb stomp that sends Naito to the floor.

A swinging DDT helps Naito fight back and leaves both men on the mat. The announcers tout Naito’s experience in lengthy singles matches, whereas this is still a relatively new experience for Tsuji as we pass the 20-minute mark.

There’s the Frankensteiner from Naito, but his Destino is countered by a knee to the face. Both men are back on the canvas, but Tsuji is back up first for a sitout powerbomb and a near fall.

Is Tsuji thinking Gene Blast? A rolling kick prevents it, and is followed by a running Destino. Naito tries the normal version but gets hit by the Gene Blast instead. Tsuji can’t follow up with a pin, selling accumulated damage to his neck.

Naito elbows Tsuji repeatedly until he’s back on the mat. The challenger fights back with a curb stomp and once again can’t capitalize on it. What he can do after a moment is use a Boston Crab to set up another curb stomp. To the corner they go, and whatever Tsuji has planned goes for naught as Naito shoves him down. Tsuji tries again, this time delivering a superplex and covering for two.

Back to the Boston Crab goes Tsuji, turning it into a Lion Tamer that looks painful. Red Shoes is checking carefully on Naito, but Tsuji eventually releases the hold. He springs off the buckles for another stomp, coming ever so close with that and his next move to the three count.

Tsuji calls for Gene Blast, but Naito rolls back and catapults Tsuji into the corner. Naito hits his own Gene Blast, but Tsuji kicks out at one.

Naito hits Valentia, and after a series of counters, Destino. Another one follows, and he hooks the leg to retain his title.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 results: Naito, Okada, Finlay win big

Who got their hand raised in Tokyo Dome? We’ve got you covered with full NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 results.

If the calendar has flipped to January and a few days have passed to let it sink in, that can only mean one thing: It’s time for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom. The annual Tokyo Dome show is the biggest event in Japanese wrestling each year, and it’s a pretty big deal for fans around the world provided they can set their schedules accordingly.

As is tradition, Wrestle Kingdom 18 is headlined by an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match, this time with a bit of a student vs. teacher vibe as Sanada tries to fend off Tetsuya Naito. The final match on any Wrestle Kingdom card tends to set the direction for New Japan for months, but that may be true this time around more than ever.

U.S. fans will get to see two very familiar and accomplished faces from AEW. Bryan Danielson takes on Kazuchika Okada in a non-title match that could outshine even the main event, while Jon Moxley tangles with both Will Ospreay and David Finlay for a brand new championship.

More title bouts are up and down tonight’s card — seven in all out of 10 matches (plus the traditional New Japan Ranpo to kick things off). It should be a long but very exciting show.

We’ve got our sleep schedule rearranged and consumed our caffeine, and will be recapping the whole event right here.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 results:

(please click on any match with a link for full details)

  • Great-O-Khan, Taiji Ishimori, Toru Yano and Yoh win the KOPW 2024 New Japan Ranbo, meaning they head to New Year Dash to compete for the Provisional KOPW 2024 Championship
  • Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira and TJP/The Aswang) def. Bullet Club War Dogs (Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney) by pinfall to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, aided greatly by TJP’s transformation into The Aswang
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Zack Sabre Jr. by pinfall to become the new NJPW World Television Champion
  • Yuya Uemura def. Yota Tsuji by pinfall
  • House of Torture (Evil and Ren Narita) def. Shota Umino and Kaito Kiyomiya by pinfall, with the help of plenty of interference from the rest of House of Torture and a timely shot from a push-up bar
  • Tama Tonga def. Shingo Takagi by pinfall to become the new NEVER Openweight Champion
  • Nic Nemeth (known as Dolph Ziggler in WWE) and brother Ryan Nemeth are shown making their way to “VIP seats”
  • Guerrillas of Destiny (Hikuleo and El Phantasmo) def. Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) by pinfall to become the new IWGP Tag Team Champions and retain the Strong Openweight Tag Team Championship
  • El Desperado def. Hiromu Takahashi by pinfall to become the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion
  • David Finlay def. Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley to become the inaugural IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion
  • On his way out, Finlay makes a point of stopping in front of Nic Nemeth, and after exchanging words, he shoves Nemeth; that touches off a brawl that continues until and even after they are pulled apart
  • Kazuchika Okada def. Bryan Danielson by pinfall
  • Tetsuya Naito def. Sanada by pinfall to become the new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
  • After the match, Naito is attacked by EVIL and Dick Togo, but Sanada helps fight them off

NJPW G1 Climax 33 semifinals results: Naito, Okada will do it again

The G1 Climax 33 semifinals featured a wild main event between Tetsuya Naito and Will Ospreay.

It’s almost time to crown a G1 Climax 33 champion. But the men who will compete for that honor on Sunday will definitely have to earn it on Saturday.

The G1 Climax semifinals are the big matches on the card tonight in Tokyo, and both of them could serve as a main event on any show. Alas, only one can be the true main event (ahem, take notes WWE), and in this case, it will be Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay.

NJPW has cleverly framed the tournament as a bit of a trap game for Ospreay after his two instant classic matches with Kenny Omega earlier this year. Might he ease up just a little bit or take his eye off the ball?

As it turns out … no, and here he is in the semifinal, almost expected to make the final. Yet playing the underdog with his back against the wall suits Naito just fine, and he should pull out all the stops in what is being sold as his last real chance to win a Wrestle Kingdom main event spot.

The other semifinal is no joke either. EVIL has been calling himself Mr. G1, even as he’s had plenty of help from his House of Torture running mates so far. The problem for him is that Kazuchika Okada really is the man who owns this tourney, having won the last two in a row. Even worse for his opponents, the Rainmaker seems more businesslike than usual, so EVIL will need to conjure something truly special to send him to defeat.

This is a true late night affair for American fans, but it’s time to be “Born in the Ring” for the penultimate time.

G1 Climax 33 semifinal results from Tokyo:

Hayata and Kaito Kiyomiya def. Master Wato and Hiroyoshi Tenzan by pinfall as Kiyomiya pins Tenzan

Plenty of discussion among the English commentary team about how Kiyomiya might be feeling after a disappointing G1, as well as how Hayata hasn’t been pinned or submitted in forever.

The matchup that gets the crowd into it the most is actually Hayata vs. Tenzan, believe it or not. Tenzan calls his brainbuster out like he’s an anime character, but that doesn’t win it for him. He does have Kiyomya in trouble, however, which is something.

It doesn’t last long, alas, and a Kiyomiya Shining Wizard secures a NOAH victory.

Ren Narita and Minoru Suzuki def. Tomoaki Honma and Shota Umino by submission as Narita taps out Honma

Umino and Narita get a chance to go right after each other, as they’ve been doing often during the G1 tag matches. Suzuki gets a strong reaction once he tags in, with Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton noting that he’s still looking to hurt people despite being something of a fan favorite now.

Of course, the crowd also loves when Honma hits his falling headbutt after some double team offense with Umino, but the veteran then gets isolated against Narita, and that goes poorly for him once he’s in the abdominal stretch.

Bullet Club (Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Chase Owens, Kenta and David Finlay) def. Yoh, Toru Yano, Togi Makabe, Yoshi-Hashi and Hirooki Goto by pinfall as Finlay pins Makabe

Kelly says he sees big things for Yoh coming this fall, but for the time being, he’s getting worn down by Bullet Club. Also his shirt gets a elbow drop from Kidd. Owens heads over and talks with Kelly during the match as well.

Finally, Chaos gets some momentum and is able to bring some numbers to bear against Coughlin. But that doesn’t last long, with Finlay sending Makabe to Oblivion. Coughlin and Kidd pose with the IWGP Tag Team Championship belts afterward, which of course belong to Bishamon, not them.

United Empire (Henare, Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi) by submission as Henare taps out Bushi

There’s weirdly a lot going on early between Khan (in short trunks tonight!) and Tsuji, who both look to one-up each other in terms of making the other look silly. Cobb and Takagi match power, as do Henare and Takagi.

Henare looks like he’s going to ride a wave to a pin of Bushi, but Shingo makes the save. The masked man is still in some trouble though, and Henare is able to make him tap out.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Eddie Kingston, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls and Zack Sabre Jr.) by pinfall as Kingston pins Fujita

Sabre certainly doesn’t look like his enthusiastic self after coming close to the G1 semis but crashing out just short. Taguchi is quite the opposite, though Ishii doesn’t seem amused by his playcalling.

There’s a fun spot where Tanahashi thinks he’s taken out someone with his butt, turns to realize all of TMDK is standing behind him and his teammates have been cleared out. He looks sheepish for a second then bravely says he’ll take them all on, even though he fares poorly in that quest.

Kingston gets to work against Fujita, and despite some of the others intervening, Eddie is able to get the pin.

Henare returns and lays out Kingston, hitting him with Streets of Rage. Looks like he’s gunning for Eddie’s gold, and he pummels the Mad King with more right hands.

Jado, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo, Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga def. Just 5 Guys (Taka Michinoku, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi and Sanada) as Jado scores the pinfall (with a lot of help)

Face El Phantasmo continues to be a delight. Also the fans are urging on Douki to take on Hikuleo despite the massive size difference. Poor Douki ends up taking corner punches from just about everyone on the other team as they keep tagging out just before the 10th punch.

Sanada vs. Hikuleo is a much better matchup, though the world champ sells his injured left arm here too. Sanada notably switches arms for Skull End, though ELP makes the save anyway.

Jado and Take both want and get tags in. Jado beats his fellow veteran to a crossface but ends up getting stomped by all of Just 5 Guys. Douki delivers the double stomp, and a Michinoku Driver nearly wins it before Jado is saved.

Here comes the inevitable sequence of signature moves from everyone, which ends with Jado getting dragged over Taka to get the three count.

After the match, Finlay and Bullet Club War Dogs return to ringside for a confrontation with ELP, Tonga and Hikuleo. Finlay tells Tonga he got lucky before leaving.

Kazuchika Okada def. EVIL by pinfall in a G1 Climax 33 semifinal match

True to form, EVIL gets in his first shots before the bell rings. He uses a mic cord to choke the Rainmaker on the outside while telling his foe to give up. There’s a count from the ref and a cover once Okada returns to the ring, but you know he’s not going down that easily.

Okada is hurled into the barricade, and EVIL uses a chair to press down on his chest. The Rainmaker has to kick out several times, and EVIL steps on his head while planning his next move.

A big boot finally gets Okada into it. There’s a DDT as well, and a cover for two.

EVIL decides to roll to the outside, but this time it’s him tasting the steel and taking a DDT on the floor. A dropkick to EVIL while he’s seated on the top turnbuckle sends him right back outside.

Dick Togo tries to get in Okada’s face and takes a forearm shot. But the ref takes a bump, and here come EVIL’s House of Torture teammates. Sho and Yujiro Takahashi do a double fisherman’s buster, and Togo comes off the top with a chop to Okada’s groin. With the ref revived, EVIL covers but can get only two.

EVIL hits Darkness Falls but it’s still not enough to win it, and the fans are urging Okada to rally. Everything is Evil is reversed into the Money Clip, so EVIL shoves his foe into the corner, and suddenly House of Torture goons are getting dropped left and right.

Okada reapplies the Money Clip and drops to the mat. Togo tries to intervene again, so Sho attacks from behind and the ref takes another bump. Togo chokes the Rainmaker, who somehow battles the odds and starts dishing out dropkicks to Sho, Yujiro and Togo.

The ref takes a third bump, and now he and the two combatants are down. Okada recovers quickest for a German suplex but EVIL wilts to the mat to escape a Rainmaker.

A Falcon Arrow has Okada looking good, but he has to dig down deep to kick out of Everything is Evil. He finally hits the Rainmaker, slams Evil and hits a second Rainmaker to advance to the final.

Tetsuya Naito def. Will Ospreay by pinfall in a G1 Climax 33 semifinal match

Naito has never beaten Ospreay one-on-one, losing both singles matches against him last year. He would dearly like to change that here, even though if anything, Ospreay is even better now. The fans sound like they are very much behind him, though there are cheers for Ospreay too.

Neither man is in a hurry to rush in once the bell rings, and Naito backs off even more when his foe leans in. They work an exchange of standing holds, then more on the mat. Red Shoes calls for a break along the ropes, but Ospreay hammers his foe on the break.

Both men evade each other in a quick flurry, giving Naito a chance to strike his pose before he heads outside and circles the ring. Ospreay gives him space to roll back in.

Now some strikes crash home, with Naito staggered a bit before he’s sent all the way to the floor. Ospreay wants to fly and does so with a plancha.

Ospreay comes off the barricade to hit a flying forearm shot. Back in the ring they go, with Naito kicking out quickly.

Naito is getting kicked and chopped around and has to kick out again after a backbreaker. He rallies to hit the Combinacion Cabron, and Ospreay sells the pain he’s in as he gets tortured a bit on the mat.

Ospreay roars back with his springboard handspring head kick, getting his fans into it. A springboard forearm follows, with Naito kicking out at two.

After getting clotheslined over the top rope, Naito looks like he’s a target for something spectacular, so he hustles to join Ospreay on the apron. Will wants an Oscutter, but Naito catches him first with a neckbreaker on the apron and another on the floor.

Red Shoes makes his count, and Ospreay is barely back in at 19. Naito is right on him with Gloria for two, then switches to the Pluma Blanca, pressuring his opponent’s neck. Naito tries a poison rana off the top, but Ospreay lands on his feet. Wow.

With Naito strung over the top rope, Ospreay launches into a shooting star press, and he follows with a Liger Bomb that gets a close near fall. Will wants the Hidden Blade, but Naito evades that and an Oscutter and early gets a three. Ospreay responds with a running forearm shot and a near fall again.

Now Ospreay wants Stormbreaker, but Naito counters with a huge DDT and both men are down. Naito hits an enzuigiri and a DDT, then Valentia for his own narrow near fall.

The fans respond as Naito hits a body slam, but he crashes and burns off the top turnbuckle. Ospray connects on a Hidden Blade but can’t cover. Red Shoes tells the men he’s going to count if they don’t get moving, so they crawl toward each other, forehead to forehead.

Forearm shots land both ways, with Naito flashing a bit of a grin. Naito hammers Ospreay down with elbow strikes as the 25-minute mark passes by. The announcers note that Ospreay has taken tons of abuse to the neck, and not just tonight.

A fired up Ospreay hammers home hook kicks, three in a row. Red Shoes pulls Ospreay back and makes a standing count. There’s the Hidden Blade again, and Naito somehow kicks out. Same after an Oscutter.

Ospreay uses a body slam to set up a move off the top rope but even that isn’t enough. “Are you freaking kidding me?” yells Kelly.

Naito dodges the Hidden Blade but looks spent. He stumbles down again but manages to reverse a Stormbreaker into a DDT, then hits the Destino that gets ever so close but doesn’t win it. A second Destino is on target, and that’s finally a wrap.

Hiromu Takahashi rushes in from the announce table to check on his teammate. Naito still has enough left to get on the mic, telling the fans it was a hell of a ride and he hopes they enjoyed it.

Tomorrow is the final. Will it be Okada or will it be Naito? The answer, of course: tranquilo. Naito says he’ll see everyone right here tomorrow, then laughs as he gets the LIJ roll call wrong the first time.

NJPW G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals results: Darkness falls on Sanada, Okada outlasts ZSJ

Former teammates Sanada and EVIL also fight each other in the G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals in Funabashi.

The intensity and stakes of G1 Climax 33 truly pick up tonight in Funabashi as the playoff or knockout portion of the tournament has arrived. All quarterfinal matches are set to go down on one explosive card that will leave just a final four (lower case, so please don’t be upset, NCAA) remaining when it’s all said and done.

While all four matches should be intense, NJPW is saving the one with the most intrigue for last as the main event. Kazuchika Okada has basically been Mr. G1 in recent years, winning the last two editions of the tournament. Zack Sabre Jr., on the other hand, has waited years for this opportunity despite being renowned as one of the top technical wrestlers in the world during his whole time in New Japan. Can he topple the Rainmaker to make the semifinals for the first time?

Almost as interesting will be the matchup right before Okada-ZSJ, which will pit IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Sanada, who went undefeated in his block matches, against House of Torture’s EVIL. It wasn’t that long ago when both men were tag team partners within LIJ. They’ve taken very different paths since leaving the stable, but they’ll collide tonight to see which one of them can make the final four and keep hope alive for a G1 triumph.

The leader of LIJ, Tetsuya Naito, has a literally tall test in Hikuleo. And Will Ospreay seems like a good bet to make the semifinals, but perhaps not since his opponent in Funabashi, David Finlay, is getting a strong push from New Japan.

It’s all set to go down after four tag team matches kick things off in Funabashi. And off we go.

G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals results from Funabashi:

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji and Shingo Takagi) def. TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste and Mikey Nicholls) by pinfall as Takahashi pins Fujita

Kevin Kelly takes exception with Haste intentionally fighting Jeff Cobb to a double countout to help teammate Zack Sabre Jr. advance. Haste tells him “Jeff got himself counted out” and maintains his innocence.

The ambitious Fujita attacks Shingo before the bell rings, but that doesn’t really get him anywhere and he ends up getting smacked around by all three members of LIJ. Haste fares much better, getting a near fall on Tsuji, who fights back against Nicholls.

Poor Fujita ends up on the wrong end of LIJ teamwork and needs to be bailed out by Shane. The Young Lion kicks out of a Hiromu Falcon Arrow but can’t escape a Time Bomb.

Shota Umino, El Phantasmo, Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga def. Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Strong Style (Ren Narita, El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki) by pinfall as Phantasmo pins Tenzan

Kelly and Chris Charlton discuss how morose Narita looks and whether it’s just disappointment from not advancing out of the block stage. He and Umino get right in each other’s faces once again before the match begins. There’s fun stuff between those two and Desperado and Tama to open things up.

Also a battle of nipple twists between Desperado and everyone on the other team. Really.

GOD look like they are having fun as babyfaces, as does Suzuki now that he can play to the crowd a little more than in the Suzuki-gun days. Tenzan throws around ELP, who finds himself fighting one-on-four. But he perseveres, and is able to pin Tenzan with Sudden Death.

Umino and Narita keep brawling after the bell and need to be separated.

Bullet Club (Gabe Kidd, Alex Coughlin, Chase Owens and KENTA) def. Just Five Guys (Taka Michinoku, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taichi) by pinfall as Kidd pins Michinoku

KENTA and Taichi compete over who can get more applause for holding up their title belts, with KENTA predictably playing sore loser in the end. Their comedy bits continue even after the bell rings, but you know this will turn serious soon with Bullet Club involved.

Coughlin looks like a goof sometimes but you can’t argue with his power, or his propensity to flick off the crowd. Owens wants to spit liquor in the face of Kanemaru but gets it kicked out of his mouth instead. And Douki starts flying around as well.

But this always feels like it’s headed in BC’s direction, and that ends up being the case, with Kidd KOing Taka for the pin.

Eddie Kingston, Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. United Empire (Henare, Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb) as Kingston pins Henare

Khan and Tanahashi get dueling chants going, which is pretty amusing. The Ace gets thrown over the top rope and tries to skin the cat but is grabbed by the other United Empire peeps, and things quickly appear to be breaking down already. Tanahashi also has Khan sit on his neck on the top turnbuckle, which the announcers point out is both painful and humiliating.

Cobb also mocks Tanahashi’s air guitar while fighting him, but Ishii is able to take Cobb on head to head to get things settled for his team. Tanahashi unleashes low dropkicks on everyone, and all of a sudden Henare is in trouble. Kingston pins him after a spinning backfist.

Tetsuya Naito def. Hikuleo by pinfall in a G1 Climax 33 quarterfinal match

The English commentary team notes that while Naito was never in danger of elimination, you never got the impression he was going to win the group until bam, there he was at the end. Naito flying under the radar? Seems strange but not wrong.

This one gets off to a very cautious start, with Naito looking to work over his bigger foe’s legs right away. He peppers Hikuleo’s back and neck as well, earning a near fall with a sliding dropkick.

Some stiff chops land on Naito’s chest, and he’s dropped headfirst off the turnbuckles and run over with a lariat. A vertical suplex gets Hikuleo his first near fall.

Naito returns to his previous tactics, along with elbow strikes. Hikuleo responds with a running powerslam and a big boot, but Naito escapes a powerbomb attempt … but not the Last Ride. Hikuleo covers but only gets two.

After Naito pulls off a nice reversal for two, he runs into a powerslam, then counters into a DDT when he looks to be in real trouble. And even though his Destino is countered into a chokeslam, he has another counter in his pocket. Naito then does pull off the Destino for the win.

Will Ospreay def. David Finlay by pinfall in a G1 Climax 33 quarterfinal match

Ospreay won’t be intimidated by the Bullet Club War Dogs as his United Empire teammates quickly come out to chase them away. He looks like a house on fire as he fires right hands and elevates Finlay for a big back body drop.

Finlay fights back by knocking his foe off the apron and slamming his back into the guardrail. He spits in Cobb’s face and gets shoved down, and as the ref is ejecting Cobb, the War Dogs stomp away on Ospreay.

Those hijinks put Finlay in control, and he works over Ospreay at a methodical pace. The men exchange abdominal stretches, with Ospreay finally breaking free to fire out of the corner with a lariat. He connects on a handspring kick as well, and now the fans are into it.

A springboard forearm shot gets Ospreay a near fall. But Finlay yanks him off the top turnbuckle, painfully hitting his face on the corner pad. Finlay bites his foe on the head but gets suplexed for his trouble.

Will wants an Oscutter but a series of counters leads to a Dominator by Finlay and a near fall. The Bullet Club leader sets a table up by ringside, and the two men fight on the wrong side of the ropes until an Oscutter bounces both men off the apron.

A table spot looks like it’s next, but Gabe Kidd saves Finlay — but only temporarily, as Ospreay is able to powerbomb him through the table. The ref counts all the way to 19 before Finlay slides back into the ring.

An Oscutter finds the mark, forcing Finlay to kick out again. Ospreay launches from the top with a Leap of Faith, but Finlay pulls the ref over him to take the bump. The War Dogs are in the ring, but so is Khan and a retuning Cobb, who suplexes both of them, and Cobb boosts Khan to fly out to the floor as well.

Though Ospreay is looking for the win, Finlay hits him with the shillelagh. A second ref arrives, but the delay gives Ospreay time to kick out at two.

A quick exchange of counters leads to the Hidden Blade, followed by Stormbreaker to give Osprey the dub.

EVIL def. Sanada by pinfall in a G1 Climax 33 quarterfinal match

It appears EVIL is sending Dick Togo to the back, though the English commentary team is skeptical it’s what it appears. EVIL begging off definitely isn’t, as Togo is already back at ringside.

Sanada is sent hard into the guardrail, knocking over the timekeeper as well. Fans scatter as EVIL throws Sanada into the seats and hits him with a folding chair. The ref counts, and the champ takes his time returning around 15 but is sent right back out into the metal barriers. Once again, Sanada takes a while to return to the ring.

Togo has removed one of the corner pads while the fight was in the crowd, and Sanada is sent into the exposed buckles. With Sanada looking for the Paradise Lock, he takes time to deal with Togo, puts him in the hold and then sends EVIL’s head into his backside to break the hold.

Sanada hits a TKO and gets a near fall, but has to land on his feet on a moonsault as EVIL slithers out to the floor. EVIL sends his former partner into the rails again, three times in all.

More interference from Togo leads to Sanada ending up in the Scorpion Deathlock. EVIL wants Darkness Falls but gets countered into Skull End. The champ switches arms and throws EVIL into Togo before connecting on a Shining Wizard.

With Red Shoes looking the wrong way, Sanada hits a low blow and bridges back into a pin, but Togo pulls the ref out of the ring and chokes Sanada with a wire. The heels look for a Magic Killer, but Sanada fights off both of them on his own.

A bodyslam leads to a Sanada moonsault, but EVIL kicks out at two. EVIL rakes the eyes to prevent Deadfall. He smashes the champ down with a big clothesline and gets his own near fall.

An enzuigiri and Shining Wizard are on target, but EVIL hits Everything is Evil and it’s enough to win it.

Kazuchika Okada def. Zack Sabre Jr. by pinfall in a G1 Climax 33 quarterfinal match

Sabre establishes himself early not with holds but with stiff kicks. Okada waves him in and sends ZSJ to the floor, running him hard into the guardrails. Sabre fights back by applying a hold over the barricade, but he ends up getting DDTed on the floor off the rail. Ouch.

That gets the ret counting, though Sabre is able to beat it with plenty of time to spare. Okada uses strikes and a boot choke in the corner, then continues his assault in another corner.

ZSJ finally buys himself a breather by yanking down on his foe’s left arm. A neck crank allows him to whip Okada’s head forward as well, and now Zack looks like he can do his thing with shifting holds.

Sabre flies out of the corner with a jumping uppercut, then starts attacking Okada’s legs. He adds in some small joint manipulation and has Okada tied up like a pretzel.

Okada briefly tries the Money Clip before dropkicking ZSJ out of the air. Sabre replies with a high angle German suplex and earns a near fall despite not being able to bridge into it.

A series of counters ends with an Okada dropkick, but Sabre soon has him tied up again. The announcers mention how Bryan Danielson submitted Okada at Forbidden Door, but this seems worse until he can get his leg to the ropes to break the hold.

Stiff strikes find Okada’s face and torso, and Sabre is feeling it until he takes a dropkick and a landslide. Sabre responds with a Zack Driver but can’t cover.

To an exchange of forearm shots they go. Sabre reverses a Rainmaker and holds onto Okada’s wrist. Both men score close near falls on the mat, with Sabre coming closest.

They slap away at each other until Okada hits a discus lariat. But Sabre avoids a Rainmaker and sets off a series of counters. This time the Rainmaker is on target, and Okada gets a hard earned victory.

Okada notes that the main event went more than 20 minutes, so would have been a draw in the block stages. He says there’s something special about G1 Climax, and he will win the last two matches he needs to win the whole thing.

NJPW G1 Climax 33 update: Quarterfinals bracket set

Take a look at all four matchups in the G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals, which take place on Aug. 10.

After one final night of block matches in Hamamatsu, New Japan’s G1 Climax 33 tournament has entered the playoff or knockout stage. Eight men will now battle over three nights of matches for the right to challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship next January at Wrestle Kingdom — including the current holder of the title.

Let’s take a look at the bracket as the quarterfinals are set.

A1 Sanada vs. C2 EVIL

This battle of former LIJ teammates and tag team partners is even more interesting now that neither man is with the group, as it’s something of a measuring stick of how they’ve done since. It’s hard to argue that Sanada feels like he’s flow higher considering he’s New Japan’s top champ and hasn’t lost yet in the G1. But EVIL has the whole House of Torture behind him every time out, so you can’t count out NJPW sending him through since Sanada would likely have interference as an excuse to explain away a loss.

B1 Kazuchika Okada vs. D2 Zack Sabre Jr.

This matchup is intriguing for several reasons. Does NJPW feel strongly enough about pushing Zack Sabre Jr. to give him a huge win over the man who has made the G1 his own more often than not? Could there be an Okada-Sanada meeting in the semis? This should tell us a lot about what the company has planned all the way to Wrestle Kingdom with respect to the Rainmaker.

C1 David Finlay vs. B2 Will Ospreay

Though many people were surprised when David Finlay took over as the leader of Bullet Club, there’s no question that New Japan has committed to that decision and is pushing him hard. As a result, it would no longer be a shock to see him go over Will Ospreay here, even though losing one of the best wrestlers in the world right now before the semifinals would be kind of a bummer. One thing to watch for: Someone might interfere against Ospreay to set up a match at AEW All In later this month, where he is expected to participate.

D1 Tetsuya Naito vs. A2 Hikuleo

This appears to be the most straightforward quarterfinal pairing. While Hikuleo is in the “it’s a honor just to have made it this far” category, Tetsuya Naito certainly is not. This G1 has felt from the start like it might be Naito’s last chance to make a run, so it would be quite the surprise if he doesn’t advance.

The G1 Climax quarterfinal matches are set for Funabashi Arena in Funabashi, Chiba on Aug. 10. Coverage begins on NJPW World at 5:30 a.m. PT/2:30 a.m. ET.

NJPW G1 Climax 33 night 15 results: Eddie Kingston’s run ends as David Finlay, EVIL advance from C Block

A fun play-in scenario almost emerged from C Block on Night 15 of G1 Climax 33, but House of Torture spoiled the fun.

Can Eddie Kingston make the quarterfinals in his first G1 Climax 33? That’s one of the questions that should fascinate North American wrestling fans most on Night 15 of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s big summer tournament.

It’s do or die time for C Block, where the first six nights of round robin competition settled nothing, leaving five men heading to Yokohama with a chance to secure a quarterfinal spot. Kingston is one of them, but he has arguably the toughest test still left as he faces the leader of Bullet Club, David Finlay.

Both men took eight points out of their first six matches, and neither of them lost to the same opponents while going 4-2. With the other “outsider” in the G1, Kaito Kiyomiya of Pro Wrestling Noah, failing to make it out of A Block, it would be an accomplishment indeed if Kingston managed to earn a berth in the quarterfinals.

But Kingston-Finlay isn’t even the night’s main event. That honor belongs to Shingo Takagi vs. Evil, both of whom are also still angling for advancement. It’s a must-win for both of the former LIJ teammates, but especially for the Dragon, who earned seven points in his first six matches.

Unlike the first rounds of the G1 Climax 33, there are tag team bouts ahead of the block matches, so let’s settle in for the long haul and see how things unfold.

G1 Climax 33 night 15 results:

United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb) def. Ryohei Oiwa and Kaito Kiyomiya by pinfall

Cobb is rocking pigtails tonight, quite the look for him. Unlike Kiyomiya, his tournament fate is still undecided, as his final D Block match will be against Shane Haste tomorrow night.

Great-O-Khan flips Kiyomiya the bird as Kevin Kelly discusses the Baltimore Orioles announcer who was suspended by the team. The fight goes to the floor with all four men participating, and Oiwa ends up suffering from double team offense when the action returns to the ring.

Kiyomiya fares better once he tags in, though Cobb’s power eventually takes its toll on him too. Oiwa enthusiastically shows his offense against Khan, then kicks out after a Hercules cutter.

The Young Lion dodges one bicycle kick but not a second, and Khan makes sure he stays down this time.

Bullet Club War Dogs (Gabe Kidd and Alex Coughlin) def. Tomoaki Honma and Toru Yano by pinfall

The War Dogs don’t even let their opponents make their way into the arena before they launch a sneak attack. Coughlin has some athletic tape and uses it to choke Yano on part of the guardrail.

But Yano eventually gets free and tries his usual assault on the corner pads while otherwise befuddling Coughlin. He kicks out of a gutwrench slam as well, and the fans are definitely behind him.

With Honma legal, the veteran ends up fighting off both of the War Dogs at once, nearly pinning Kidd. But he misses his diving headbutt off the turnbuckles, making his fate inevitable. Yano gets a decent stomping from the heels after the bell too.

Strong Style (Ren Narita, El Desperado and Minoru Suzuki) def. Jado, Hikuleo and Shota Umino by submission

Kelly mentions that he was surprised Umino didn’t make the quarterfinals since all the arrows seemed to be pointing up for him. Hikuleo is in the elite eight, but who he faces in the next round is still to be determined by results later tonight.

The fans seem most excited to see Suzuki in this match, though it’s Jado who nearly wins it with a schoolboy on Narita. “Almost” is the operative word, however, as Narita quickly gets Jado to tap out.

Narita and Umino get into it a bit after the bell, slapping each other and exchanging words.

TMDK (Kosei Fujita, Shane Haste and Zack Sabre Jr.) def. Oskar Leube and Chaos (Yoh and Hirooki Goto) by pinfall

Goto and ZSJ do plenty of pre-match trash talking since they will meet in D Block action tomorrow. Fujita really lets Yoh have it with some nasty chops as they open the proceedings; he’ll be headed out for his excursion soon.

Yoh gets stuck in enemy territory for quite some time, even as Goto is itching to get in. He finally does and makes it count, eventually getting to go one on one with Sabre. They give us a brief preview of tomorrow before giving way to Leube and Haste.

All six men get into it for some fun teamwork as the announcer joke about Oskarmania running wild. The Young Lion’s energy only gets him so far, alas, as Haste plants him and pins him with a Last Ride.

Yoh and Fujita want to keep fighting after the bell, and Sabre and Goto exchange a few pleasantries as well.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Togi Makabe, Yota Tsuji and Tetsuya Naito) def. Master Wato, Togi Makabe and Hiroshi Tanahashi by pinfall

This is another bout that features two men who will face each other tomorrow night (funny how that happens) in Tanahashi and Naito. They also conveniently start out for their respective teams, though LIJ tries setting up a multi-man assault on the Ace.

Tsuji gets a chance for some offense on Tanahashi too, earning a near fall with a running splash off the ropes. Wato finally gets in and works over Bushi and Tsuji, trying to get the fans more involved as well.

Some great teamwork between Naito and Bushi has LIJ looking good, but only until Makabe and Tsuji end up isolated against each other. But Makabe misses a knee drop off the top, then nearly gets pinned by a Falcon Arrow. A spear finishes him off right after that, and the camera finds Naito with a submission on Tanahashi on the floor, working over the Ace’s knee.

Tomohiro Ishii def. Mikey Nicholls by pinfall in a C Block match

Neither man can advance to the quarters, but that doesn’t stop them from going right after each other when the bell rings. Ishii needs to be pulled off Nicholls by the ref in the corner, then comes firing out of the opposite corner with a shoulder tackle.

Despite bleeding a bit from his forehead, Nicholls stays right in there exchanging strikes with the Stone Pitbull, who also gets spiked with a DDT for a near fall. A stalling vertical suplex earns Nicholls another two count.

An impressive display of strength sees Nicholls hit a Death Valley Driver before both men end up on the top turnbuckle. Nicholls executes a superplex, but Ishii kicks out again.

Ishii finally no-sells a tornado DDT, then kicks out again after a diving lariat. He’s able to pull off a German suplex, and the fans try to will him back into it.

Lariats are flying now, and Nicholls ends up delivering the Master Blaster and showing real disbelief when that doesn’t win it. Ishii responds with a flurry that leads to the vertical drop brainbuster, and the fans erupt as he gets the three.

Tama Tonga def. Henare by pinfall in a C Block match

Tonga needs a victory and some help to advance, but Henare doesn’t look like he’s in an accommodating mood as he takes a page from Yano’s book and exposes the steel turnbuckles to give Tama some early pain.

Speaking of pain, Tonga is in some more thanks to a submission hold on the mat, and the announcers wonder if he’s reaching to tap before he grabs the bottom rope for a break instead.

Tama fights back with a strong corner attack, springing out with a running clothesline as the fans clap. A corner splash and overhead throw get him a near fall.

Now the two men look content to just stand and trade in the center of the ring, and when Tonga hesitates looking for the right corner to launch a Supreme Flow, Henare hustles with a knee shot to send him to the floor.

Henare’s kicks are answered by another flurry from Tonga, though the Supreme Flow isn’t enough to keep his foe down for three. Henare chops Tama down with body shots and a knee to the face, then a high knee in the corner.

Locked in a full nelson, Tonga is asked several times if he will submit, but he reaches back and hits a Gun Stun. A slow crawl for the cover lets Henare kick out at two.

Henare hits Rampage and looks for Streets of Rage, but Tama hits him with a Superman punch. Tonga follows with a Veleno to keep his G1 hopes alive.

David Finlay def. Eddie Kingston by pinfall in a C Block match

The announcers talk extensively about Kingston’s somewhat unlikely arrival in AEW as he takes things right to the outside. Finlay stops his onslaught with a snap suplex on the floor and Red Shoes makes his count, but the Bullet Club leader heads back out to smash Eddie into the guardrail and pepper him with right hands.

It’s not looking any better for Kingston back between the ropes as Finlay stays on offense. But after surviving a DDT, Kingston is able to back his foe into the corner for some machine gun chops, then hits a suplex to boot.

Another Kingston suplex leads to a cover and a near fall. Finlay responds well with a backbreaker and his own two count. Kingston has to kick out again after a stiff shot to the back of the head.

Finlay calls for Oblivion and gets chopped for his trouble, so he switches gears and sends Kingston to the outside. Eddie is hoisted up and tossed into the post, banging his head off the metal. Red Shoes counts and he barely makes it back inside.

Kingston looks to rally and has to fight hard to suplex his foe. He’s slow to cover, however, which gives Finlay a chance to get his foot on the ropes before the three.

Finlay manages to pull off Oblivion, but he’s also too beaten down to cover, and there are less than five minutes left. Both men slowly rise to exchange strikes, leading to a big Finlay spear that still isn’t enough to end it.

But Oblivion comes for Kingston again, and Finlay not only advances but seals up the No. 1 seed in C Block.

EVIL def. Shingo Takagi by pinfall in a C Block match

EVIL tries to get a quick win by attacking before the bell, and Dick Togo leaves the Japanese announce table to return to his typical spot at ringside. The stakes are high here: an EVIL win or draw sends him through to the quarterfinals, while a victory by Shingo means he’ll have to wrestle Tama Tonga in a play-in match after this.

Despite his efforts to avoid it, Shingo is sent careening into one of the ringside officials, and EVIL tries to cut his hair as well. Red Shoes foils EVIL and Togo’s attempts to cheat by conveniently looking away, and Shingo is firing himself up for a comeback that leads to a DDT.

The Dragon hits a bodyslam and a senton, then suplexes his former teammate for a near fall. He hits Noshigami as well but pauses in dismay as the other House of Torture members are now at ringside too.

Togo loosens a corner pad to ensure Takagi runs in and hits steel in the corner. EVIL hits a vertical suplex but gets only two. All of EVIL’s teammates end up stomping away on Shingo on the floor.

After applying the Scorpion Deathlock, EVIL connects on Darkness Falls but sees Shingo kick out again. With the ref distracted, Togo tries to help with a Magic Killer only to be tricked into helping with one on EVIL instead.

Shingo hits Made in Japan for another close near fall. After some back and forth, he hits a second one, but the House of Torture has taken out the ref and timekeeper.

Takagi is fighting one on four, but Tsuji and Bushi run down to try to lend a hand. It’s not enough as House of Torture has multiple weapons to use o Shingo, along with a Shock Arrow by Sho.

Less than five minutes are left, but Hiromu Takahashi pulls the ref out of the ring, and LIJ is briefly resurgent. Takagi runs over EVIL and Togo, then smashes EVIL with a running clothesline, but there’s still no ref.

Bushi finally rolls Red Shoes back in the ring as there are only three minutes left. But EVIL hits a low blow and follows with Everything is Evil, and Takagi’s heroic struggle goes for naught. At least his teammates manage to prevent him from having his head shaved after the bell.

NJPW G1 Climax 33 night 4 results: Naito, Tonga get key wins in Sendai

Tetsuya Naito is also looking to bounce back from his 0-1 start during night 4 of G1 Climax 33 action in Sendai.

One of the great things about the G1 Climax is the way it creates the same kind of urgency so prevalent in unscripted sports with some of its early matchups. Such is the case with the night 4 main event in Sendai, which pits two wrestlers against each other who stumbled out of the gate with losses in Sapporo.

Neither Tomohiro Ishii nor Tama Tonga have anything to hang their head over despite the position they’re in. Ishii dropped his C Block opener to Bullet Club leader David Finlay, who is unquestionably as hot as he’s ever been.

Tonga, meanwhile, lost a hard fought contest with EVIL, who has a history of being a tough out at the G1 — especially when he turned his back on LIJ a few years ago. Just like in, say, the NFL, it’s too early in week 2 of block competition to call tonight’s main event a must win, but it sure won’t be easy for the loser to rally from an 0-2 start to make the knockout portion of the tournament.

Speaking of EVIL, he’ll be trying to hand Eddie Kingston his first ever G1 loss in a battle of winners from the first night of C Block action. And Tetsuya Naito, who always seems to have dreams of propelling himself to Wrestle Kingdom using the G1 as a launchpad, will look to right the ship with a victory over 1-0 Hirooki Goto.

We’re anxious to take it all in from Sendai, so let’s see what’s popping in the second night of C and D Block matches.

G1 Climax 33 night 4 results:

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Toru Yano by pinfall

Kevin Kelly notes that Yano has only one victory ever over Sabre, and it was in a KOPW bout where there were no corner pads. Kosei Fujita comes to the ring instead of ZSJ and is introduced as Zack. Sabre appears on the walkway, much to Yano’s dismay, attacking from behind just as the bell rings.

Sabre has Fujita reinforce the ties on all the corner pads, but Yano turns the tables by taping Zack’s legs together. He has to hop back to the ring that way and barely beats the ref’s 20 count.

While Yano is frustrated seeing all the corner pads taped in place, Fujita slips some scissors to ZSJ, who is free but acting like he’s not. That works to lure Yano in to be pinned.

David Finlay def. Mikey Nicholls by pinfall

Both these men are 1-0 entering the night, though Finlay figures to be a heavy favorite to make it two straight wins. Nicholls is able to weather a fast start by the Bullet Club leader and fire back with some stiff offense of his own.

That’s not enough for him to hang for too long, however, as Finlay wears him down with shots to the back of the head before eventually finding the mark with Oblivion.

Jeff Cobb def. Alex Coughlin by pinfall

Just an opinion, but Coughlin’s crazy guy act comes off like he’s trying a little too hard. These two have met just once before, when Coughlin was still a young lion, and Cobb won.

Coughlin makes a tour of the ringside area and teases using his tag team title belt as a weapon, then hurls a young lion at Cobb as well before hurling his foe into the barricade. He shows off some nice strength back in the ring as well with a gutwrench suplex on the larger Cobb.

A couple of additional suplexes allow Coughlin to continue his eyebrow-raising power display, but the Tour of Islands takes him as a passenger eventually and he isn’t kicking out from that.

EVIL def. Eddie Kingston by pinfall

Eddie tries to bring an equalizer down to the ring with him as some Dick Togo insurance but still ends up getting jumped before the bell by EVIL. Togo trips Kingston at the first opportunity, so this is going right to plan by the House of Torture.

They battle into the crowd, where Kingston is hurled into some empty seats as EVIL attempts to win by countout. Eddie makes it back in time but just gets stomped for his trouble. He’s selling his butt off, for sure.

Kingston eventually gets EVIL lined up for some machine gun corner chops and works his way toward a near fall. But he’s thrown into the barricade again, much to the dismay of the poor ring announcer on the other side. EVIL locks on the Darkness Scorpion on the floor, and Togo almost makes Eddie miss the 20 count.

A ref bump allows Togo to play an even more active role, but Dick ends up taking a kendo stick show intended for Eddie, who goes to town on both of them. Kingston eventually chops down his foe and stacks up his pin, but EVIL kicks out at two.

EVIL manages to use the ref to unwittingly help deliver a Magic Killer, and now both wrestlers and the official are all down. Eddie gets EVIL in a stretch muffler but has to let go when Togo tries to lend a hand, and a low blow sets up Everything Is Evil for the win.

Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Shane Haste by pinfall

Haste does some impromptu guest English commentary while Tanahashi is being introduced. The Ace is holder of many G1 records, but as Kelly notes, is starting to give some wins back at this point in his career.

This is a much different challenge for Tanahashi than the technical showcase against ZSJ a few days ago, but the fans are able to rally him to a near fall after a somersault senton. He takes some shots to the had and back before pulling off a trademark dragon screw, but gets countered by a back suplex while looking for the Sling Blade.

Tanahashi finally hits the Sling Blade after a Twist and Shout, but Haste meets him on the middle rope. The Ace fights his way free and hits Aces High, then High Fly Flow for the dub.

HENARE def. Shingo Takagi by pinfall

These two know each other well, and start out at a deliberate pace before they inevitably start trading bombs. Shingo is able to outsmart his foe a little, however, and takes control on the outside.

A popup Samoan Drop finally puts HENARE on the front foot, and his Berserker Bomb gets a near fall, as does a senton. Shingo rallies behind a powerbomb for two, then tries choking out his foe on the mat.

Takagi calls for the finish but is outstruck by HENARE and hit with the Rampage, which nearly wins it. Shingo also has to get his boot to the ropes to break a submission hold.

HENARE wins a battle of headbutts but gets countered trying for Streets of Rage. He hits it on his second attempt but is too beaten up to cover right away, and Shingo rolls under the bottom rope.

Less than five minutes remain when Takagi connects on Made in Japan, but now it’s his turn to be slow to follow up. His running lariat gets only two as time ticks under three minutes to go.

After more heavy shots each way, the men lean on each other in the center of the ring. HENARE pulls off a second Streets of Rage and covers with less than 30 seconds left, and he just beats the bell with a pin.

Tetsuya Naito def. Hirooki Goto by pinfall

Naito’s early posing doesn’t sit well with Goto, who kicks him in the spine and sends him to the floor. Naito fights back with a neckbreaker on the outside, which takes a bit out of him too — but it’s Goto who is slow to beat the 20-count.

Both men have their moments over the next few minutes, including a springboard DDT by Naito. There’s a top rope hurricanrana as well, but it’s not enough to put Goto away.

An attack on Naito’s knees leaves both men on the canvas. Kelly notes that the last two matches between these two went past 20 minutes, which can’t happen under this year’s rules.

Goto hits the GTW but Naito makes him chase for the cover, and there are now less than five minutes left. A Ushikoroshi gets Goto a two count, but Naito counters his attempt at a GTR.

Naito hits a DDT out of the corner for a two count, and follows with a Destino to seal a win with just a few minutes remaining.

Tama Tonga def. Tomohiro Ishii by pinfall

Kelly passes along a statistical note on how tough Ishii is to beat in Sendai, though it’s Tama who gets out to a strong start. Ishii slugs his way back, as he is wont to do.

Tonga’s forearm shot sends Ishii to the mat and allows him to lead the fans in some clapping, and a powerslam earns him a near fall. Ishii counters a Tongan Twist with a vertical suplex, which works well.

Ishii pounds Tama down to the mat in the corner as Red Shoes checks on Tonga. They go back and forth a bit until Tama tries for Supreme Flow and finds no one home.

A big vertical superplex scores for Ishii and is good for a two count. He stalks Tonga but runs right into a dropkick, which looks to be a momentum changer. The Tongan Twist finds the target right at the 10-minute mark, and now Tama is calling for the finish and the fans are clapping again.

Ishii strikes before the Gun Stun can arrive, then headbutts his foe to the mat. A powerbomb leads to a stacked cover, but Tonga kicks out at two. He has to dig down and kick out again after a diving lariat.

Tama fires off several straight moves and off comes the shirt. He drops Supreme Flow and gets a very close two count of his own.

After shrugging off a dropkick, Tama hits the Veleno for a near fall. But Ishii has an answer in the form of his take on the Gun Stun, then runs the ropes with a big lariat that comes close to winning it.

Tama connects on a Gun Stun out of midair, follows with the Jay Driller, and that’s enough to take it.

Once Ishii clears out of the ring, Tama gets some mic time to say this G1 will be his best ever.

NJPW G1 Climax 33 night 2 results: Kingston wins debut, Cobb knocks off Naito

EVIL and Zack Sabre Jr. also picked up big wins on night 2 of G1 Climax 33.

G1 Climax 33 got off to an intriguing start on night 1 in Sapporo, with Will Osprey taking an ‘L’ in his first match. Night 2 promises to have its share of talking points as well, as it’s the first time we’ll see the competitors from the C and D blocks in action.

There are some tasty matchups in store toward the end of the card, including Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr., and the main event that pits Tetsuya Naito against the power of Jeff Cobb. Still, the big draw for American wrestling fans is almost sure to be the G1 Climax debut of Eddie Kingston, who will have his hands full right out the gate with Shingo Takagi.

Without the multi-man matches that usually kicked off G1 Climax shows in some past years, it means we’ll be getting right to the tournament bouts on night 2. Let’s jump into it!

G1 Climax 33 night 2 results from Sapporo:

David Finlay def. Tomohiro Ishii by pinfall – C Block match

Nothing surprising in the opening minutes as Ishii and Finlay appear content to go right at each other. A chop block by the Bullet Club leader seems like a good idea, as it allows him to slow the pace.

The fans attempt to rally Ishii, but Finlay appears to have an answer each time. A big backbreaker coming out of the corner finds the mark, but Ishii kicks out at two.

Ishii’s big superplex gets a strong crowd reaction but isn’t enough to win the bout. After several near falls both ways, Ishii nails a headbutt and a powerbomb and still sees Finlay kick out in time.

A running clothesline also looks like it might win it for Ishii, but a series of counters allows Finlay to hit Into Oblivion and get the dub. Bullet Club teases some abuse for the Stone Pitbull after the bell but decides against it.

Hirooki Goto def. Toru Yano by pinfall – D Block match

These two wrestled a very quick match a few years ago, and the pace of the first few minutes makes it look like it might be over in a blink again. There’s almost always something wacky in any Yano match, and the two men tiring each other out on the floor by continually reversing Irish whips certainly qualifies.

So does Goto ending up wearing a mascot head against his will, nearly getting counted out. Goto manages to survive all the hijinks and pick up the win, however.

Mikey Nicholls def. Aaron Henare by pinfall – C Block match

Both of these gents are candidates to be the “guy who does surprisingly well” in C Block, but it’ll need to start with a win here. Nicholls suffers for his craft, getting busted open and bleeding pretty nicely from the face, probably during an exchange of headbutts.

A nasty running corner knee by Henare isn’t going to make his face feel any better, but to his credit, Nicholls prevails and picks up the victory.

Shane Haste def. Alex Coughlin by pinfall – D Block match

Coughlin is stronger than he looks. That’s the biggest takeaway from the first few minutes of this contest. He also tries to use some chairs and his title belt, but those efforts backfire, and Haste is able to put him away.

Eddie Kingston def. Shingo Takagi by pinfall – C Block match

Kingston just seems like he’s a perfect fit for Strong Style contests like this one. He certainly welcomes a chopping contest with the Dragon, which not everyone would.

Their battle goes to the floor as well, where Kingston simply runs over his foe before the ref begins to count. Into the corner they go, trading strikes until Eddie can execute a suplex for a near fall.

A lariat earns Shingo a breather as he fans begin to clap. He treats Eddie to a generous helping of the suplex game, though eventually both men end up down on the mat. Kingston shrugs off a flurry of offense to kick out at one, then kicks out at two following a running clothesline.

Kingston hits his own clothesline after a series of reversals, but now it’s Shingo kicking out at one. He isn’t as fortunate next time, however, and Kingston wins a hard fought G1 Climax debut.

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hiroshi Tanahashi by pinfall – D Block match

This seems like a cruel first pairing for the Ace, who hasn’t been in the best of physical condition the last few months. Tanahashi holds up fine in the opening mat exchanges, but we’ll see if he can keep that up.

He’s certainly game for an exchange of uppercuts, and Tanahashi works his own submission game to boot. But ZSJ starts targeting his left leg, forcing him to endure both pain and taunting.

The Ace swings things back in his favor and even scores a near fall, and he hip tosses his way out of potential octopus hold danger. Tanahashi ends up on his back and threatening Sabre with a leg triangle, but the TMDK frontman escapes and goes after the left leg again.

Not even sure what ZSJ’s hold is called, but Tanahashi reaches the ropes to force a break. It’s his turn to dish out targeted damage, working repeatedly on Sabre’s left arm. Both men hit low dropkicks and the Ace nails a Sling Blade for a quick two count.

Tanahashi flies for a high cross body, but Sabre rolls through and kicks his foe in the chest for a near fall. As both men try to pull off armbars on each other, ZSJ is able to roll through and keep Tanahashi’s shoulders pinned just long enough for the ref to count to three.

EVIL def. Tama Tonga by pinfall – C Block match

EVIL wastes no time showing his true colors, attacking Tama before the bell. He fares less well in the opening minutes of the actual match, but he eventually takes his foe partway up the ramp for a suplex and then fights further out into the crowd. EVIL rings the bell to imply he’s going to win by countout, but Tama hustles to return by the time the count gets to 19.

Jado urges on Tama along with the fans, and he responds with a corner splash for a two count. Red Shoes tries his best not to get caught up in the action, but he finally takes a bump.

That brings Dick Togo into the fray, helping to stomp Tama after smacking Jado off the apron. A Magic Killer gives EVIL a chance to cover just as the ref is coming to, but Tonga kicks out.

A Scorpion Deathlock puts Tama through some agony before he can work his way free. A flurry of offense includes a Tongan Twist, and he flies from the top rope with a splash for two.

Togo gets involved again and almost sets Tama up for Everything is Evil, but EVIL has to settle for a lariat instead after some counters. Darkness Falls is on target too, but Tama manages to kick out.

Though wobbly, Tonga is able to survive some lariats, coming back with an even stronger one of his own. Togo runs in and gets a Gun Stun, and Tama signals for the finish. Alas, after Red Shoes is shoved into the corner, EVIL uses a low blow to set up Everything is Evil and get the three count.

Jeff Cobb def. Tetsuya Naito by pinfall – D Block match

Naito matches always take a while to get going, but he probably wishes this one took longer as he’s thrown right into a battle on the outside. Cobb is able to match him dropkick for dropkick back in the ring, cracking a smile afterward.

Cobb teases a dive to the floor and does his version of Naito’s trademark pose. Naito is slow to rise and takes until the count of 16 to return to the ring, where more punishment awaits him.

That changes as he connects on several consecutive moves, including the Cabron Combinacion. He tries for an armbreaker but is hoisted to his feet, and they battle to the top turnbuckle where Cobb delivers a hellacious falling powerbomb. Jeff crawls for a cover but sees his foe kick out not once but twice.

Naito’s next flurry leads to a Destino attempt that is countered with a Tour of the Islands, and now both men are down as the ref counts. They beat the 10 count, leaning on opposite ropes.

Several near falls are scored by Naito before he is dumped on his head with a suplex. Another Tour of the Islands follows, and Cobb picks up a huge win.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results: Sanada holds off intriguing challenger, Bullet Club grows

Check out all of the action for NJPW’s start of the summer card with full Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results.

Is there change in the air? It’s always possible when eight championships are on the line on one pro wrestling card, which is the case for NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall.

Except for one eight-man tag and one match to determine a No. 1 contender for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship — and even that bout is intriguing considering the man holding that particular title is Kenny Omega — every bout on this year’s card is a championship match.

With that much gold on the line, it’s tricky to pick the showdowns that stand out from the rest, but three figure to be measuring sticks for whether things will be shaken up across New Japan this summer. The first sees David Finlay, leader of the Bullet Club, take on former teammate El Phantasmo for Finlay’s NEVER Openweight Championship. Will this be a measure of revenge for ELP after he was unceremoniously booted from the group, or further validation of Finlay’s new direction for one of pro wrestling’s most famous stables?

Hiromu Takahashi defends his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Master Wato, who made quite the impression by winning the 2023 Best of the Super Juniors tournament. A victory over Hiromu would give him the right to claim he’s the best junior heavyweight in the company.

And in the main event, Sanada will attempt to fend off a challenge to his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Yota Tsuji. While Sanada had to break free from Los Ingobernables de Japon  to take his game to the next level, Tsuji is attempting to do just the opposite, saying he wants to join LIJ while trying to bring home the top prize in NJPW.

It should be an exciting night with a title change or two and perhaps a couple of surprises before it’s all said and done, not to mention the reveal of the G1 Climax 33 lineups.

Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall results:

(click on any match with a link for full details)

  • Will Ospreay def. Lance Archer by pinfall to become No. 1 contender for Kenny Omega’s IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship
  • Ospreay gets on the microphone and says he’s out for revenge on Omega, and will walk into Canada to bring the title back … likely meaning at Forbidden Door in Toronto
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Bushi and Titán) def. Just 5 Guys (Taichi, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Taka Michinoku) by submission
  • Catch 2/2 (Francesco Akira and TJP) def. Intergalactic Jet Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight) by pinfall to become the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions …
  • … but the new champs are attacked right after the match by Dan Moloney, who cornered them during the bout, and Clark Connors
  • Zack Sabre Jr. def. Jeff Cobb by pinfall to retain the NJPW World Television Championship
  • Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) def. House of Torture (Evil and Yujiro Takahashi) and United Empire (Great-O-Khan and Aaron Henare) by pinfall to become the new IWGP Tag Team Champions and Strong Openweight Tag Team Champions …
  • … but after their victory, they are laid out by the new Bullet Club War Dogs, Alex Coughlin and Gabriel Kidd
  • The G1 Climax 33 field will include Kazuchika Okada, Naito, Sanada, Ospreay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, David Finlay, Shota Umino, Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii, Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa, Hikuleo, Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Toru Yano, Kenta, ZSJ, Taichi, Eddie Kingston, El Phantasmo, Ren Narita, Evil, Chase Owens, Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Henare, Kidd, Coughlin, Shane Haste, Mikey Nicholls, Yota Tsuji, and Kaito Kiyomiya
  • David Finlay def. El Phantasmo by pinfall to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship
  • Hiromu Takahashi def. Master Wato by pinfall to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
  • Chaos (Kazuchika Okada and Tomohiro Ishii) and Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli) and Shota Umino by pinfall, with Okada accepting a recorded challenge from Bryan Danielson after the match and suggesting “the Forbidden Door will be opened”
  • Sanada def. Yota Tsuji by pinfall to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

G1 Climax 32 Night 17 results: Tanahashi in must-win bout vs. Kenta

Check out full NJPW G1 Climax results from Night 17 in Nagano, with Hiroshi Tanahashi in a must-win bout against Kenta.

Time is running out for some of the stars of New Japan Pro-Wrestling to make their moves in G1 Climax 32. The scene shifts to Nagano and the White Ring, with several bouts that could decide the winner of their block.

In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi faces Kenta. Even if the Ace wins, he’ll still need help in the form of a Zack Sabre Jr. defeat to Tetsuya Naito to stay in contention for the C Block crown, but at least he’ll have a chance.

D Block is the place where everything is up for grabs. David Finlay got off to a flying start with three straight victories, but he’s since lost two straight. He still has his own destiny in his hands, however, as a win against Yoshi-Hashi would give him a block win not many people would have picked him to achieve before the tournament started.

It’s do or die time in Nagano, and you’ll want to tune in if at all possible. Otherwise, bookmark this page and check back throughout the event to get the latest G1 Climax 32 results as they happen.

G1 Climax Night 17 quick results:

  • Evil, Yujiro Takahashi, Sho and Dick Togo vs. Hirooki Goto, Yuto Nakashima, Ryohei Oiwa and Kosei Fujita

Scroll down for more detailed results from every match on Night 17.