Tag: NJPW G1 Climax

Could Adam Copeland wrestle in the NJPW G1 Climax? He’d like to

Adam Copeland in the G1 Climax? It’s not as crazy as it may have once sounded.

It’s pretty clear by now that Adam Copeland wasn’t willing to just ride off into the sunset as a part-time performer in WWE. Though he may be approaching the end of his career, he wants to go out as a full-timer in AEW, and has talked up the number of never-before-seen matchups he’d like to see come together.

Could some of those come against talent from New Japan Pro-Wrestling? It’s certainly on the table given the close working relationship between AEW and NJPW, and competing at the Tokyo Dome is something that is apparently on Copeland’s bucket list.

He spoke about that in a little more detail during a recent appearance on The Batleeground podcast (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

That’s pretty exciting and a by-product of coming here is, ‘oh wait, hold on a second, Tokyo Dome.’ That’s on the checklist.

Copeland said some of those dream scenarios simply weren’t possible after his initial retirement in 2011, but now that he’s in AEW, “I can get them done, and that’s pretty fun.”

Something else he thinks might be “pretty fun”? Entering the G1 Climax tournament. While grueling, with tough matches several times a week during July and August, it’s a prestigious event that would allow Copeland to step in the ring with the widest number of New Japan stars possible thanks to its round robin format and tendency to feature eliminated competitors in multi-man tag matches.

Eddie Kingston famously had the G1 on his personal wrestling bucket list until he got an opportunity to compete in the tournament this year. Copeland referenced Kingston’s stay in Japan to participate when asked about his own thoughts on entering the G1.

We’d have to carve out some time, I guess. Eddie [Eddie Kingston] did it this year, so it’s a possibility.

For now, Copeland has his hands full with the talent in AEW, particularly old friend Christian Cage. He said this week he wouldn’t fight Cage, but you know how that goes. Just know that if Copeland is truly considering a G1 run, he’s definitely not easing into retirement any time soon.

NJPW G1 Climax 33 final results: Naito achieves his destiny with 3rd G1 win

See how Tetsuya Naito held off Kazuchika Okada’s attempt to win his third straight G1 Climax.

Sanada is the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Will Ospreay may be the best wrestler on the planet right now. Neither man is in the G1 Climax 33 final tonight in Tokyo, yet one can’t help but feel New Japan Pro-Wrestling is telling the exact story it wants to tell to finish off another eventful tournament.

That’s because Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito not only know each other all too well, they both have compelling narratives woven into their quest to win this G1. If Okada comes out on top, he’ll be the first ever to win three G1s in a row, and it will be his fifth overall. He’s already a NJPW legend, but those numbers will put him arguably in a class all his own.

For Naito, he’s said for several years that his next Wrestle Kingdom main event would likely be his last, and that winning the G1 would be the best way to ensure he gets that final opportunity. All of us feel the ticking of time and the urgency to accomplish certain goals, making him one of the more relatable characters in wrestling today.

And while Okada and Naito have had their share of epic encounters in the past, neither is exactly the same as the last time they met on a stage this big. Okada seems more businesslike and joyless, almost “mercenary” as Kevin Kelly described him. Naito appears to be feeling the grind of the G1 more than ever before, to the point where the narrative is how much he’ll have left in the tank for the final.

It’s going to be a fascinating showdown and we can’t wait to see how it plays out.

G1 Climax 33 final results:

Kaito Kiyomiya and Ryohei Oiwa def. Toru Yano and Oskar Leube by pinfall (Kiyomiya pins Leube)

This is … kind of  weird match to end Kiyomiya’s G1 experience, but the fans in the arena don’t seem to mind. He certainly seems unamused by Yano’s antics and treats him to a high elbowdrop.

Leube can move for his size, and will finally get to go home soon after 17 months straight in Japan. Kiyomiya looks like he wants to end things for the German, but Leube manages to kick out after a missile dropkick and gets his own near fall with a running powerslam.

Shortly after, however, Kiyomiya wipes out Leube with a Shining Wizard, and that’s all she wrote.

Shota Umino, Master Wato, Yuji Nagata and Tomoaki Honma def. Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Ren Narita and Yuto Nakashima by pinfall (Umino pins Nakashima)

Hey, it’s Umino and Narita smacking each other around once again. Every other combatant in the match has to come together to pull them apart, and finally Wato and Desperado tag in for their respective teams.

Nakashima gets Wato in a Boston Crab and just shrugs off shots from Honma. And of course, Suzuki and Nagata get to renew their eternal rivalry as well.

But it all cycles back to Umino and Narita, except only the Shooter is able to tag in. That’s bad for Nakashima, who takes a Death Rider and is down for the three count.

After the bell, Umino and Narita need to be separated yet again, eventually leading to six of the eight men shoving and talking smack. And then that breaks down into a six-man brawl, geez.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, Eddie Kingston and Yoh def. Togi Makabe, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima and Tiger Mask by pinfall (Yoh pins Tiger Mask)

Who do fans want to see in against Ishii? Maybe some Tenzan? They get that early on, plus some help from Kojima against the Stone Pitbull as well.

Yoh shows off some theatrics as well, with Kevin Kelly teasing him for taking some of Tom Lawlor’s supply of denim shorts. Kojima gets the fans going by treating Kingston to his own version of Eddie’s machine gun chops, which end up coming right back at him.

Yoh is nearly able to pin Tiger Mask, but Tanahashi and Ishii fare more poorly while working together. That leaves Yoh isolated and nearly defeated by Tiger Mask.

The junior heavyweights seem like they are going to finish things among themselves, and indeed they do, with Yoh getting the pin. There’s some extracurricular activity after the bell here too, but nothing quite like the previous match.

TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Mikey Nicholls, Shane Haste and Kosei Fujita) def. Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Ryusuke Taguchi and Boltin Oleg by pinfall (Haste pins Goto)

This feels like bad news for a random group of guys to take on TMDK, even with the tag team champions involved, but we shall see. Quick tags allow the stable to torture poor Taguchi, especially when ZSJ and Fujita get rolling together.

The momentum changes when Oleg tags in, with his power making a difference. He even chops down Sabre a few times, and his raw strength allows him to escape from a choke too.

Haste is able to get the pinfall in the end, and over Goto too, which seems like it’s setting up a title challenge for Haste and Nicholls.

Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, Hikuleo, El Phantasmo and Jado def. Bullet Club (David Finlay, KENTA, Chase Owens, Alex Coughlin and Gabe Kidd) (Loa pins Owens)

Is Finlay going to bite someone early on? Yes, yes he is. The War Dogs don’t like seeing their leader get double teamed by Tonga and Jado, though, and they hit the ring to touch off a brawl that involves all eight men fighting to the outside.

ELP seems to be the only one who can stem the BC tide, and he nearly pins Kidd after an impressive flurry of offense. Coughlin tries to muscle up Hikuleo but needs help from Kidd, and together the War Dogs knock the big man out to the floor.

Tanga Loa is feeling it against Owens, but Chase gets assistance from Finlay and KENTA when he calls for it. Just when Loa looks like he’s about to be pinned by a la magistral cradle, he reverses the pin and holds on for three. Bullet Club tries to attack after the bell with title belt shots but get repulsed in short order.

Finlay screams for his belt, but Tama holds it aloft while ELP and Hikuleo have the NEVER tag straps as well. Take notes here.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, Yota Tsuji, Hiromu Takahashi and Bushi) def. United Empire (Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan and Henare) (Tsuji pins Ospreay)

The Empire attacks as LIJ is doing its fist circle, because that’s the time to do it. LIJ recovers nicely, however, with Tsuji using Hiromu as a weapon against Henare … until he has to fight the powerhouse one on one.

Hiromu has to tangle with Cobb, then Ospreay, then gets sat on by Khan, so he’s not having a fun time tonight. Khan even tries to get Hiromu to kiss his boot but takes a nasty dragon screw for that.

Khan does force Shingo to kiss his boot, which won’t sit well with the Dragon. LIJ rallies behind Tsuji until he ends up fighting all of United Empire alone.

The inevitable string of signature moves includes Bushi blasting Cobb over the barricade with a dive to the floor and Tsuji nearly pinning Ospreay. Will fights back with an Oscutter but his cocky cover doesn’t keep Tsuji down.

Yota hits a big spear, then another and covers for the win, a big pin for him.

Kingston re-emerges to attack Henare as soon as the United Empire match is over, and the two men brawl all the way to the back.

House of Torture (EVIL, Yujiro Takahashi, Sho and Dick Togo) def. Just 5 Guys (Sanada, Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Douki) by pinfall (Sho pins Taichi)

House of Torture wastes no time starting a brawl and zeroing in on Sanada while they do so. The actual match action starts with Douki and Kanemaru taking it to Togo, to the delight of pretty much everyone, we presume.

Despite his arm injury, Sanada looks healthy enough to fling himself from the ring to the floor on multiple sides of the ring. He covers EVIL but only gets two.

EVIL and Sho target the injured left arm, but he fights back bravely and tags in Taichi. He gets to do his tearaway pants thing and has Sho tapping out, but the ref is distracted and doesn’t see it.

After House of Torture takes out the ref, weapons come into play for both sides, with the House getting the better of the exchange. Just when Taichi comes to the rescue, Sho hits him with a wrench, then follows with Shock Arrow, and the revived ref makes the three count.

Sho picks up the KOPW belt and admires it, demanding a microphone too. He says that title doesn’t have any value because the champion is too weak, making it clear he plans to change that.

Meanwhile, EVIL has the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and uses it to lay out Sanada. To make matters worse, House of Torture handcuffs Sanada to the ropes, and EVIL gets Togo to make the ring announcer read a statement that says Sanada is not a fitting champion and has to give his title to EVIL.

Taichi gets laid out again, and it appears EVIL and Sho are going to keep those belts with them.

Masahiro Chono, the only man with five G1 Climax wins, is out on Japanese commentary with Tanahashi to see if Okada can match his mark.

Tetsuya Naito def. Kazuchika Okada by pinfall in the G1 Climax 33 final

The fans seem to be backing Naito more than Okada, which the Rainmaker seems to notice prior to the opening bell. He has his share of supporters as well, no question.

The first break in the corner is a clean one, which draws some applause and gets Okada to raise an eyebrow. They wrestle to the mat, with Naito applying a side headlock.

Okada appears he isn’t going to give a clean break along the ropes, but Naito is ready for him. He sends Okada to the floor but has no plans to dive out and hits his pose instead.

Naito avoids a charge while returning to the ring and takes Okada to the mat, pressing into his back with a knee. A high flapjack gets Okada a chance to compose himself, and his supporters come to life.

A snapmare leads to a low dropkick for the Rainmaker. They head to the apron, where Okada spikes Naito directly on top of his head. Okada whips his foe into the metal guardrail, and the ref begins counting again. Naito is back in and gets sent to the mat, and Okada arrogantly tells Red Shoes he should count the pinfall with just his boot on Naito’s chest.

Both men run the ropes, and Naito manages to yank Okada down with a neckbreaker. He hits a dropkick to the side of Okada’s head and hits a pair of neckbreakers for a near fall.

Out on the floor, it’s Okada’s turn to taste the steel. Naito drapes him over the guardrail and executes a neckbreaker onto the metal. Red Shoes makes his count and reaches 19 before the Rainmaker returns under the ropes.

Naito uses his legs to squeeze Okada’s neck and arms on the mat. Okada fights back and now both men are slow to rise. Naito hauls himself up using the ropes, but he misses a running corner kick and gets dropkicked off the top, bouncing down to the floor.

An Irish whip is reversed and sends Okada hard into the guard rail. His response is a good one: a tombstone piledriver on the floor. Back in the ring, Okada hits a high angle German suplex and a spinning clothesline.

Okada misses a Rainmaker but hits a dropkick, and Red Shoes checks on Naito before starting his count. Naito stirs at six and the count stops. He hits a big DDT as well.

Elbow shots put Okada face first on the mat, but Naito picks him up and drills home some elbow shots. They head to the top rope, where Naito’s Frankensteiner gets a near fall, and he immediately transitions to a submission hold. Okada is getting squeezed but waves his finger to signal he isn’t giving up, and he breaks the hold by reaching the rope with his boot.

Esperanza is on target and has Naito stalking. A DDT sets up Valentia, but it’s only good for two. So Naito bodyslams Okada and launches into the Stardust Press, which he misses just as he did against Ospreay in the semifinal.

A shotgun dropkick knocks Naito back, but he fights to avoid a tombstone. Naito’s small package is good for two, and he runs the ropes to deliver a forearm shot. Both men are slow to rise as the crowd chants loudly for Naito.

An Okada dropkick leads to a Falcon Arrow, and now the Rainmaker is feeling it. Neither man’s finisher can hit, but Okada does hit a lariat before nearly getting rolled up. Destino is next, but Okada kicks out at two.

A short exchange of counters leads to a second Destino, then a third, and that’s enough to keep even Okada down for three.

Okada receives applause as Young Lions help him to the back. Chono presents Naito with the G1 flag and does the LIJ salute with him before posing for pics.

With his LIJ teammates joining him in the ring, Naito says he thinks people across the country enjoyed this G1. He thanks the fans who attended in person from the bottom of his heart.

Naito says he hates the word “always” and says he’s more about the now — and he is the focal point right now. He leads the biggest roll call of the summer before the streamer cannons go 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.

Zack Sabre Jr. implies he turned down offers from AEW, WWE

ZSJ says he’s been loyal to NJPW, claiming all the big American promotions wanted him.

Even though NJPW World Television Champion Zack Sabre Jr. has been a New Japan Pro-Wrestling mainstay since signing with the company in 2017, he often carries a chip on his shoulder by giving the impression that he feels underappreciated.

His thoughts after he advanced to the G1 Climax 33 quarterfinals for the first time by defeating Hirooki Goto on Wednesday were no different — but what was interesting was Sabre’s comments on what he’s turned down to stay with New Japan.

While taking exception to the company pushing the “Reiwa Three Musketeers” (Ren Narita, Yota Tsuji and Shota Umino), Sabre said in not so many words that he could have jumped to AEW or WWE had he so chosen (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

The Musketeers, you’re talking about the changing of the guard. Behave. What New Japan needs has been staring them in the face for seven years. I turned down contracts with all the major American companies. I’ve dedicated my whole adult life to Japanese pro wrestling. You want to talk about dedication, who this company should get behind? I’m not even on the fucking posters for this tour. That changes when I win it. Right now, I’m reminding every single one of you why I’m one of the best wrestlers in the world. When I win the G1 Climax, I’ll prove that I am the best wrestler in the world.

Sabre had a chance to sign with WWE prior to joining NJPW in 2016, when he was part of the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic. He said earlier this year that one of the reasons he didn’t make the final of that tournament was that he didn’t agree to a WWE contract.

Presumably, Sabre is talking about more recent contract offers as well, and when he says “all the major American companies,” it’s hard to read that as anything but including both WWE and AEW (he worked on several AEW shows earlier this year and has appeared on both editions of Forbidden Door), and perhaps Impact Wrestling as well.

In any case, ZSJ is riding with NJPW for now, and the promotion with him. The world will be watching to see if he continues to move forward in the G1, starting with his quarterfinal match tonight against Kazuchika Okada.

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 16 results: Naito, ZSJ come up big in D Block finale

Five men entered the final night of D Block matches with a chance of advancing in NJPW G1 Climax 33.

Throughout their long and storied careers, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito have faced each other in singles matches more than a dozen times. But except for when a title was on the line, the Ace and the LIJ leader have arguably never battled with stakes as high as they are tonight in Night 16 of G1 Climax 33.

The final night of D Block competition sees five men still mathematically alive for two spots in the quarterfinals. The edge goes to Jeff Cobb, Zack Sabre Jr. and Naito, who all sit on eight points before they hit the ring in Hamamatsu.

But Hirooki Goto, who wrestles Sabre, and Tanahashi are still in the mix at six points apiece. They’ll need wins and results in other matches to go their way, but can get one of the tiebreakers they will need by winning tonight anyway.

If Cobb and ZSJ both win, it’s possible that Tanahashi will know he can’t advance before he even hits the ring. Still, the chances he’ll just roll over and allow Naito to cruise to victory seem essentially nonexistent, and the story that NJPW has been telling with respect to Naito and the G1 Climax feels like it’s a now or never situation. To use a baseball analogy that the man himself would probably appreciate, we’re beyond the bottom of the ninth and into extra innings.

As far as the tag team matches before the block action begins, the most interesting one features Eddie Kingston, whose time in New Japan is not quite over yet even though he was bounced from the tournament the previous night. He’s supposed to join the English commentary team after his match, which should be fun.

Buckle up, here we go.

G1 Climax 33 Night 16 results:

House of Torture (Sho and EVIL) def. Yuto Nakashima and Eddie Kingston by pinfall

Kevin Kelly takes exception to EVIL being announced as ‘Mr. G1,’ and he and Sho waste no time taking the fight well into the crowd on opposite sides of the ring.

The House of Torture forms a human chain to, well, torture the Young Lion in an abdominal stretch, but Kingston is able to make the save. Eddie gets to treat both of his opponents to chops and exploder suplexes when he tags in.

Nakashima, who’s sporting a nifty new haircut, gets to show off some of his stuff against Sho (sorry), who he eventually places in a Boston Crab. Sho steadies the ship by pulling the ref into the way, and he uses a wrench shot the reg doesn’t see to set up the Shock Arrow for the victory.

TMDK (Kosei Fujita and Mikey Nicholls) def. Ryohei Oiwa and Kaito Kiyomiya by pinfall

The Young Lions on each side have some history with each other and start out against each other. The larger Oiwa wins a striking battle, but Fujita hangs with him and goes over to hit Kiyomiya as well.

Nicholls seems to be in a foul mood, biting Oiwa’s forehead at one point while we all wait for Kiyomiya to enter the fray. That finally happens after Oiwa dropkicks both of their opponents, and he and Oiwa are eventually able to isolate Nicholls.

Unfortunately for the Young Lion, Nicholls ends up hitting him with a Death Valley Bomb and a sliding lariat, securing a win for the TMDK duo.

Master Wato, Hikuleo and Shota Umino def. Bullet Club War Dogs (Gedo, Gabe Kidd and David Finlay) by submission

Kelly notes that Finlay broke his share of rules but did win C Block without any interference from other members of Bullet Club. That’s something, one supposes. He has his hands full with Umino early on here, however.

Kidd is able to lend a hand from the outside, mocking the fans as he does so. Also Kidd and Finlay end up biting Umino’s fingers on both hands at the same time.

A tag to Hikuleo turns out to be the cure for what’s ailing Umino, though Kidd is able to trick him into running into Wato in the corner. He almost gets pinned by Gedo, which would be embarrassing, but hits a springboard uppercut before things start to break down.

Wato ends up hitting a nice Russian leg sweep on Gedo, then transitions to Vendaval and gets a verbal submission. The War Dogs re-enter the ring after the bell with weapons, and Kidd makes it clear he wants to prevent Hikuleo from advancing in the tournament, throwing a chair at the big man’s head.

United Empire (Henare and Great-O-Khan) def. Tomoaki Honma and Tomohiro Ishii by pinfall

If you want to see some straightforward slugging, this is the match for you. It starts with Ishii and Henare, and the fans seem to appreciate it. Honma gets himself into even more trouble against Khan until he battles back with a DDT.

Ishii returns with a vengeance, scoring a near fall on Khan after a back suplex. He fights out of a submission hold and tags are made so that Honma and Henare can square off.

Honma hits his trademark diving headbutt but takes a series of kicks and a headbutt in return. Streets of Rage wins it for Henare, while Ishii and Khan need to be pulled apart while scrapping on the outside.

Strong Style (Ren Narita, El Desperado, and Minoru Suzuki) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Bushi, Yota Tsuji, and Shingo Takagi) by submission

Tsuji and Narita, who fought to a draw in their G1 match, start things out. Suzuki smiles as he tags in, and both he and Tsuji laugh it up while smacking each other. Strong style is fun, apparently!

The two masked men get to work against each other until Desperado ends up taking abuse from everyone on the LIJ side. Desperado looks like he’s in trouble in Tsuji’s Boston Crab, but he crawls to the ropes to force a break.

Shingo and Suzuki end up paired off as well, which the fans like. They dig Bushi’s tope suicida as well, and thing start to break down right after that.

Narita and Bushi are the legal men and end up alone in the ring, and Bushi ends up tapping out to the Cobra Twist.

Alex Coughlin def. Toru Yano by pinfall in a D Block match

Eddie Kingston has joined Kelly on commentary for this one, watching as Kidd helps Coughlin attack Yano on the walkway before the match begins. The War Dogs pile sections of the barricade on Yano and choke him with a towel, all before the bell.

Alas, Coughlin overplays his hand and gets a drop toehold into a chair, then several chair shots to boot. Yano hauls Kidd back up the ramp with his neck in a chair, then battles Coughlin well into the crowd. They fight through some of the closer sections and finally into the ring to officially start the match.

Kidd returns to the fray once the ref takes a bump, grabbing a table and setting it up on the floor. Yano escapes being suplexed to the floor but he’s still outnumbered. He powerbombs Kidd through the table, possibly taking care of him for now.

Yano gets a pair of scissors and has to be stopped from using them on Coughlin. But as the ref deals with that, Coughlin uses his title for a belt shot and follows with a jackhammer for the victory.

Jeff Cobb vs. Shane Haste fight to a draw by double countout in a D Block match

Kingston talks about the wear and tear you take competing in the G1. It’s true that it can’t be too fun by the time you get to the final block match. Cobb shows off both his power and his athleticism, getting Eddie to say “it’s not fair.”

Somehow, Haste is able to get Cobb up for a powerbomb on the apron. But all that ends up getting him is a serious series of clotheslines in the corner, then a big running suplex that leads to a near fall.

Haste battles back with a big Falcon Arrow for two. They stand and trade chops and forearm shots until Haste can blast Cobb to the outside with a dropkick.

Up the ramp they go, passing the halfway mark of the time limit. With the ref counting, Cobb tries to return to the ring, but Haste does all he can to prevent it. He holds on for all his might and gets a draw by double countout, keeping things alive for his teammate, Zack Sabre Jr.

Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hirooki Goto by submission

Not sure if Goto is mathematically still alive or not, though with a win and a Naito loss he can end up in a cluster of wrestlers with eight points. ZSJ controls his own destiny: win and he’s into the quarters.

Goto starts out strong, battering Sabre from corner to corner until ZSJ grabs his leg. A backbreaker has Goto sliding out to the floor to try to stop the onslaught.

Sabre keeps working over his opponent’s back, shifting to his right arm as well. A Cobra Twist has Goto in a lot of trouble, especially when he gets dragged to the ground. But he’s able to escape and run through some of his offense to earn a near fall.

Suddenly Goto has plenty of momentum and the fans behind him, but ZSJ catches him coming off the top rope and he needs to get his foot to the bottom rope to make a desperation break of the hold. Goto holds on to stop Sabr from kicking him in the chest, and both men stagger each other until Goto prevails with a huge lariat.

Both men hit each other with suplexes and backbreakers, ending up on the mat at the same time. A Zack Driver connects, but he’s too beaten up to cover as the 10-minute mark arrives.

The fans urge them on as they trade forearm shots again. Sabre kicks at both arms but is dropped by kicks in return. A big slam sees Goto cover, but Sabre kicks out at two.

A series of counters almost has Sabre get the pin. A big headbutt comes back in response, but ZSJ is able to get the octopus hold applied. He rolls back onto the mat, and Sabre is just torturing Goto with a variety of holds. Hirooki fights it but eventually has no choice but to verbally submit. Sabre is into the quarters with 10 points.

Tetsuya Naito def. Hiroshi Tanahashi by pinfall in a D Block match

This has the proper big fight feel, though Tanahashi nearly wins it in seconds with an inside cradle. He smiles as if to say “I almost got you.”

The Ace stays on offense and is able to play his air guitar before catching Naito with an arm drag. The LIJ frontman pulls his foe down by his hair, then does more of the same to bend Tana over the top rope before a baseball slide sends Tanahashi into the barricade and gives him time to pose.

Naito pulls off a full nelson with his legs on the mat, then hits a neckbreaker for two. He twists Tanahashi’s neck before running into a boot in the corner, and the Ace responds with a jumping forearm shot.

There’s a corner bodyslam and somersault senton that forces Naito to kick out at two. A dropkick to Naito’s left knee sets up the dragon screw, but Naito fires back with another shot to his opponent’s neck as 10 minutes remain.

Naito wants his corner combination but gets a dragon screw instead, and both men are down. Tanahashi heads up top and launches into a huge cross body to the floor.

A Sling Blade sets up another cross body in the ring, but Naito foils the High Fly Flow by getting his knees up. Both men battle to their feet to exchange strikes, with Naito scoring with an atomic drop and elbow shots.

Only five minutes are left, so Naito needs to step on the gas. He finds the mark with Esperanza but gets caught in another inside cradle, then a third. Naito barely kicks out but gets caught in Sling Blade and has to kick out yet again after a straitjacket German suplex.

Naito spits on his foe before pulling off a DDT, and he holds on for the three to advance to the quarterfinals.

 

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.

G1 Climax 33 update: Standings for every block

Six of the eight quarterfinal spots in G1 Climax 33 are still up for grabs heading into the final round robin matches for every block.

The top star in New Japan Pro-Wrestling and its top champion have already secured their places in the knockout rounds of G1 Climax 33. Lots of other competitors have work left to do in the critical final match of round robin action that begins this weekend in Osaka.

That’s the main takeaway from examining the standings in every block after Night 12 of NJPW’s big summer tournament, as every wrestlers has now competed six times. Undefeated IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Sanada is through, as is Kazuchika Okada, who has lost only once so far.

Every other spot in the quarterfinals is up for grabs, particularly in C and D Blocks, where three men are tied in points scrambling for just two spots. Let’s take a look at where things stand headed into the final two nights of round robin matches.

G1 Climax 33 A Block standings

  • Sanada – 12 points (has clinched A1 seeding in quarterfinals)
  • Hikuleo – 6 points
  • Kaito Kiyomiya – 6 points
  • Shota Umino – 6 points
  • Gabe Kidd – 5 points
  • Yota Tsuji – 5 points
  • Ren Narita – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Chase Owens – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)

Analysis: While Sanada is through, only Narita and Owens are out of the running for the second spot from this block. Narita can still play spoiler against Kiyomiya, Tsuji and Kidd will need both a win and some help, and the biggest match figures to be between Hikuleo and Umino, who are both on six points. Hikuleo owns a tiebreaking victory over Kiyomiya, who fought Umino to a draw, so if two men end up with eight points each, this could be very interesting.

G1 Climax 33 B Block standings

  • Kazuchika Okada – 10 points (has clinched a spot in quarterfinals)
  • Will Ospreay – 8 points
  • El Phantasmo – 6 points
  • Taichi – 6 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Tanga Loa – 6 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • KENTA – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Great-O-Khan – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Yoshi-Hashi – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)

Analysis: Okada is through, but needs at least a draw against Tanga Loa to ensure he is the B1 seed in the quarterfinals. Similarly, Ospreay controls his own destiny — if he defeats El Phantasmo, he could even move up to top seed in the block if Okada stumbles. On the other hand, a draw against ELP will at least clinch a quarterfinal appearance, while a loss would mean Phantasmo advances instead.

G1 Climax 33 C Block standings

  • David Finlay – 8 points
  • EVIL – 8 points
  • Eddie Kingston – 8 points
  • Tama Tonga – 7 points
  • Shingo Takagi – 7 points
  • Mikey Nicholls – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Henare – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Tomohiro Ishii – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)

Analysis: Five men still have a shot at the two quarterfinal spots, and four of them take on someone from that same group on the final night of round robin matches. Only Tonga has what on paper is an “easy” match against Henare, and avoiding an upset will leave him with nine points. Finlay and Kingston could join him there with a draw, or the winner could end up with 10 in what figures to be one of the most critical matches still remaining. EVIL can clinch a spot by beating former stablemate Takagi, while Shingo and Tama could both get to nine points and also wrestled each other to a draw.

G1 Climax 33 D Block standings

  • Jeff Cobb – 8 points
  • Tetsuya Naito – 8 points
  • Zack Sabre Jr. – 8 points
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi – 6 points
  • Hirooki Goto – 6 points
  • Shane Haste – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Alex Coughlin – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)
  • Toru Yano – 4 points (eliminated from advancing)

Analysis: There could be quite the logjam at 8 points if a few men fighting for their G1 Climax lives come through. Goto can join ZSJ there by beating him, as can Tanahashi if the Ace defeats Naito. Meanwhile, Cobb figures to be in the best shape: His final match is against the already eliminated Haste, plus he owns tiebreaking wins against Naito, ZSJ and Tanahashi if he slips up.

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.