Tetsuya Naito – Syndication Server

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: Tetsuya Naito achieves his destiny, defeating Sanada

Tetsuya Naito claimed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

The crowd sounds like it is very much behind Tetsuya Naito as he makes his way down the ramp. His narrative as painted by the announcers is that his previous moments of potential glory were mostly spoiled by the pandemic and injury, giving him one more chance for that ultimate moment here.

Sanada has a good story too, with Chris Charlton putting him over as the selfless warrior who puts team and fans over himself. Will he claim his biggest win ever for himself tonight?

Neither man rushes in when the bell rings, and the first exchanges of holds is very even on the feet and the mat. The fans applaud their stalemate.

They work over to the ropes, where Red Shoes is keeping a careful eye, and Sanada makes an acrobatic save when he sees Naito has wandered away from a potential dive to the floor. The champ holds the ropes for the challenger to return to the ring. Gentlemanly.

An exchange of strikes breaks out, with Naito getting the best of it. A neckbreaker from a hip toss gets the challenger the upper hand, and he capitalizes with more elbows in the corner and a flurry of offense that leads to a low dropkick to the back of Sanada’s head.

Some mat work by Okada forces Sanada to get a rope break. Naito stomps his back before they trade more strikes. Sanada fights back with a low dropkick to the knees and a backdrop suplex.

Two leapfrogs set up a dropkick in a classic sequence for Sanada, and a plancha is right on the money. Some fans come to life for that, as well as for the champ’s springboard dropkick. A TKO gets a two count for the champ, who goes right back to work by locking in Skull End. Finally, Naito is able to get a boot to the bottom rope for a break.

Sanada’s moonsault finds no one home, and Naito smiles as he executes a dropkick to knock the champ to the floor unexpectedly. The challenger hangs Sanada’s legs on the barricade to deliver a neckbreaker, and it’s no shock to see the champ holding his neck in pain.

The ref starts a 20 count that reaches 18 before Sanada gets back in the ring … only to feel Naito’s knee in his neck again. A Frankensteiner hurls the champ from the top rope, a good sign for Naito. Sanada fires right back with a dropkick and elevated DDT, and now both men are on the canvas gathering their wits.

Sanada kips up and hits a poison rana/shining wizard combo. Up top for a moonsault he goes, but Naito knows it’s coming and gets his knees up perfectly.

Naito hammers away with strikes until Sanada is face down on the canvas. Esperanza is on target, as well as Destino. The fans like that, but a second Destino is countered by a TKO.

Who will get up first? It’s Sanada, who almost overshoots a moonsault but lands on Naito’s back. A second to the front side of the challenger also hits, but Naito kicks out at two.

It’s Naito’s turn to rally, but he can’t pull off another Destino. The challenger waves in the champ and does hit Destino. A third doesn’t quite connect cleanly, so it’s appropriate that Sanada kicks out.

He looks for more offense but is greeted by Deadfall instead. The fans are at full throat as both men are back down with Red Shoes checking in.

A palm strike is answered by a rolling elbow, and Sanada hits his own Destino. Naito fires back with a rolling kick and a tornado DDT. Sanada rolls back into a bridge off the ropes and gets amazingly close without hearing the three.

The champ’s shining wizard has him looking for Deadfall, but Naito counters with one of his own. A brainbuster has Naito pointing to the stars, and a devastating Destino ends it, making Naito the world champ.

But Naito’s moment of triumph was brief, as he gets attacked from behind by EVIL and Dick Togo. “I won’t let you have your roll call,” says EVIL. Sanada attacks EVIL, however, and Togo, and the fans come to life for the aid he gives the man who just defeated him.

With Sanada finally on his way out, Naito gives him props, saying he’s only holding the mic right now because of him. The new champ says LIJ supporters will have an even better year in 2024 and finally gets to lead the huge roll call he’s always wanted to do.

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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

Sanada on Wrestle Kingdom clash with Naito: ‘I want to be a proper champion’

Sanada will have his Wrestle Kingdom main event moment, but will it be enough to validate his title reign?

When Sanada meets Tetsuya Naito in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 18 in just a few weeks, it will the culmination of a journey for both men. Yet even though Sanada enters the match as the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, it’s hard to shake the feeling that he has much more at stake.

Part of it is because Sanada hasn’t felt like the top star in New Japan even though he holds its top championship. It’s telling, for example, that it was Naito who won the Tokyo Sports MVP Award for this year, even though he holds no titles — though he did win the G1 Climax, which is how he earned his shot at Wrestle Kingdom.

Even Sanada feels it. In his pre-Wrestle Kingdom interview, which you can see below, one of the things he feels he needs to prove by defeating Naito is not just that he was right to part ways with LIJ, but that he is in fact “a proper champion.”

“I left my old team, became the champion, it was a shock to the system,” Sanada said. “I think the results have been there, but part of me doesn’t quite feel like a real champion.”

He noted that without leaving LIJ, he probably never would have won the title, saying that the group is more like “Tetsuya Naito and friends.”

“If I stayed put I wouldn’t become a champion. I want to be a proper champion.”

A victory over the always popular Naito might help with that. Even if the fans don’t like it, there’s a chance that if the two men tear it up at Wrestle Kingdom, they’ll at least respect Sanada more than they do now.

He also spoke about wanting to sell out every building and perhaps have festivals in places like his hometown of Niigata, “to show wrestling to people who have never seen it.”

Will he get the chance? We’ll find out on Jan. 4.

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Tetsuya Naito wants to return ‘as soon as possible’ following eye surgery

Naito should be well recovered in time for his big Wrestle Kingdom showdown with Sanada.

Tetsuya Naito is scheduled for one of the biggest matches of his career, and certainly one that may define the late stages of that career, when he faces Sanada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on Jan. 4 at Wrestle Kingdom 18. Yet the LIJ leader would prefer not to wait that long to step back in the ring.

The issue is that Naito is recovering from eye surgery that he recently had to fix a long-term issue with his right eye. It’s the third surgery he’s had since 2019.

Naito was released from the hospital today, and told Tokyo Sports that he didn’t foresee having any problems living his daily life while he recuperates. He did say he’d need probably two weeks off before he started working out strenuously again.

As for getting back to active competition, Naito made it clear he’d prefer if that happened sooner rather than later (h/t Fightful for the translation).

I don’t want to take too much time off, and it’s sad and frustrating not to have my name on the card. I would like to return to competition as soon as possible.

The 41-year-old Naito has been IWGP Heavyweight Champion and IWGP Intercontinental Champion on multiple occasions (including one reign while holding both titles), but has never held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship created by the unification of those two titles.

He’s also headlined several previous editions of Wrestle Kingdom, though there is a feeling that this may be his last chance to do so. The good thing for New Japan fans is that it doesn’t sound like his eye surgery will prevent him from returning ahead of his intriguing matchup with his former teammate at the Tokyo Dome.

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.

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.