Tag: Will Ospreay

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest results 08/23/23: London calling

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest will set some of the final pieces in place for All In. Join us to see what’s going down.

What do you do when it’s the final AEW Dynamite before the biggest show in company history, and with the Fyter Fest branding to boot? Load it up as best you can, which is exactly the case for tonight’s episode from Duluth, Georgia.

Naturally, setting up some final pieces to All In looks like it will be part of the fun. There’s the obvious stuff, like a contract signing between Chris Jericho and Will Ospreay, as well as a face-to-face interview between AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (who will be the subject of, let’s call it increased interest due to recent events) and their challengers, the Young Bucks.

Some of the matches on tonight’s card are also previews of sorts for things we’ll see this weekend, including a battle between The Elite and Bullet Club Gold. Even the singles match between Jon Moxley and Rey Fenix has taken on potentially greater meaning since Fenix is rumored to be on his way out of his All In match due to visa issues.

Plus we’ll hear one last time from the two men who will meet in the main event of All In, MJF and Adam Cole. The success of their pairing has gone way beyond what anyone might have expected when it first started (including Cole himself, as he told us earlier this week), but now it’s the most exciting storytelling in all of AEW. Will there be one more twist in their tale before they team, then fight, in London?

Getting answers to questions like that is a big part of why we watch. Let’s dive in.

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest results from Duluth:

The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) vs. Juice Robinson and The Gunns is a no contest that turns into a huge multi-person brawl

The heel trio doesn’t even wait until our heroes are in the ring to attack, and Juice also abuses the ref for preventing him from using a steel chair. The Gunns hit Nick Jackson with the 3:10 to Yuma, but there’s no ref to count … or to stop Jay White from intervening too.

Omega fights valiantly against White but gets run over by Konosuke Takeshita. Things are looking dire until FTR events the odds, and with Omega and Takeshita isolated in the ring, Konosuke barely escapes the ring before he’s hit with a One-Winged Angel.

MJF proves he’s still having some trouble adjusting to being a face as he promises a pint to all the fans at Wembley but suggests he’ll make Tony Khan pay for them. Renee Paquette asks about the pressure he feels, and he says it’s the most of his entire life while putting over those who paved the way for a show as big as All In to happen.

Paquette also questions the sincerity of his friendship with Adam Cole while showing video of some of their previous interactions. The champ says that he’s become a better person because of Cole, and that while brothers fight sometimes, they hug it out at the end.

MJF suggests that if you put your faith in him, he will reward it. After all, he’s not just a scumbag — he’s your scumbag.

Jon Moxley def. Rey Fenix by submission, plus Santana and Ortiz are back

Fenix gets off to a quick start that includes a tope to the floor, but this all feels like a bit of misdirection given what’s rumored to happen here. Rey takes a nasty bump to the floor and is slow to rise, which may be leading toward what we’re talking about.

Mox rips away at Fenix’s mask during some picture-in-picture action but he’s able to avoid being unmasked and the fight continues. Fenix takes a series of stomps to the face but manages to pull off a superkick that gets him a momentary respite.

Rey tries his rollthrough cutter and gets it on his second try. A frog splash follows and comes very close to winning it for the luchador.

As Moxley tries for the Death Rider, Fenix counters with an inside cradle for another near fall. The two men slug it out until Rey’s thrust kick provides him the time to go up top. But Mox meets him there, biting his face to get leverage for an Avalanche Death Rider.

Fenix kicks out but falls right into a sleeper. Rey tries to fight it but can hold out only so long.

After the bell, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta attack Fenix with crowbars, and when Eddie Kingston and Penta try to come to the rescue, they are stopped by a returning Santana and Ortiz.

Best Friends and Orange Cassidy chase away the heels with chairs, but the damage is done to Fenix, who ends up getting stretchered out.

Penta and Alex Abrahantes hop in the ambulance to ride along with Fenix, and Kingston has an issue with Paquette over “what your husband did.”

Sammy Guevara defends Chris Jericho to Daniel Garcia, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang, who wonder if Jericho will be there for him when needed.

Will Ospreay is accompanied by Don Callis for the contract signing, and Jericho walks out with Guevara. Callis says everyone wants to know why he did what he did, but he makes it simple by saying it was due to Ospreay … as well as having a chance to end Jericho’s career.

He chose money and power over friendship and Ospreay over Jericho. Will grabs the mic to talk about how the match will change his life, and that he’ll be the only person who can say he beat Omega, Kazuchika Okada and Jericho in two months.

Jericho responds by saying Ospreay may not have done all of those things without him, claiming he called Will and told him to calm it down because his style was too reckless to ensure longevity. He says the match at Wembley means more to him than Ospreay or anyone since everyone is predicting his demise.

He touches a nerve as Ospreay smacks the mic out of his hand, and the two men need to be separated by everyone else in the ring. They did sign the contract in there too, so it’s on.

Now it’s Cole’s turn to talk to Paquette, with Cole praising MJF for having belief in him to return to top form. He also says winning the AEW World Championship would cement his status as the best wrestler in the world.

Alas, when he’s shown video of Roderick Strong and how their relationship has suffered while he’s been friends with MJF, Cole gets mad and cuts the interview short, yelling that there are no problems between him and Max.

Darby Allin and Nick Wayne def. AR Fox and Swerve Strickland by pinfall, but there’s more to the story

Fox is wearing the same tank top he wore when attacking Wayne in his home ring, stained with the youngster’s blood. That’s … pretty nasty.

Wayne is taking some hellacious bumps here early on, but he hits a double Wayne’s World to the floor, followed by a Coffin Drop from Allin.

After a commercial break, Allin is hurling himself through the air again. Fox puts him in a chair on the outside, where Strickland lands a Swerve Stomp to knock him to the floor. Wayne is bleeding from his nose too, but he manages to kick out of Fox’s corkscrew brainbuster.

Swerve’s running head kick also won’t keep Wayne down, and when Fox misses a 450 splash, Wayne is able to bridge back into a pin just as Allin recovers to prevent Strickland from making the save before the ref’s count hits three.

Taking the mic, Swerve only laughs, telling Fox how disappointing he has been. “Why are you such a loser, Fox?”

Strickland says this was all a test, and he can’t trust Fox in front of 80,000 people at Wembley. The Mogul Embassy fires Fox and Brian Cage comes in and thrashes AR. Happily, Sting arrives with a baseball bat and Allin forgives Fox.

When Allin asks Strickland “who do you got?” for Sunday, out come Luchasaurus and Christian Cage, with the latter immediately insulting Wayne’s dead father.

So … Cage or the dinosaur man at Wembley?

Paquette sits down with FTR and the Bucks, with FTR saying that the only reason they’ve aided the Jacksons recently is to make sure that in London, they can determine who is the better tag team once and for all.

Nick Jackson suggests that FTR needs to win the match for their legacy, which the champs sort of shrug off. Dax Harwood says both the titles and the legacy are important, after which Matt Jackson starts in on them as well.

The four women in the title match talk about their tag team match at All In … except, curiously, for Saraya.

Ruby Soho def. Skye Blue by pinfall

Prior to the match, Soho delivers a warning to Kris Statlander, saying she’s got her eyes on the TBS Championship. At All Out, maybe?

Blue puts up her typical good fight here, including hitting Skye Fall, but Soho is able to catch her with Destination Unknown for the victory.

Flanked by The Kingdom, Roderick Strong ominously suggests that by the end of the night in London, we’re going to find out who the real MJF is and who the real Adam Cole is.

Without their usual music, The Acclaimed hits the ring and calls out the House of Black. They need to be careful what they wish for, as here comes the House.

A three-on-two beatdown is on, but Billy Gunn comes out to help chase the bad guys away. He gives an impassioned speech before saying he’s up for one more match to get some payback on the guys who hurt his “kids.”

And while fun loving Daddy Ass can’t make the trip to London, Gunn says a “Bad Ass” will be.

Aussie Open def. The Hardys by pinfall to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship, then get a visit from MJF and Adam Cole

It feels very unlikely that these titles would change hands four days away from All In … but you also can’t rule it out if for some reason the Aussies can’t travel.

They sure look like they have taken control of this one, and by isolating Jeff Hardy, they manage to retain their belts.

For some reason, Aussie Open gets on the mic to promise no double clothesline or kangaroo kick at Wembley Stadium. All that does is bring out Better Than You Bay-Bay, a.k.a. MJF and Cole. The four men have a staredown that turns into fisticuffs.

Though Mark Davis evades a double clothesline, Kyle Fletcher is still in the ring. He nearly gets Cole to kick MJF, and hey come nose to nose before Max holds the world title belt over his head. Cole offers a handshake that MJF refuses before grabbing his Dynamite Diamond Ring, but they end up hugging it out.

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest preview 08/23/23: All aboard to All In

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest will have some intriguing in-ring action, a contract signing and more just days away from All In London.

AEW hasn’t quite shifted all of its focus across the pond (does anyone still say that?) just yet, as there’s business to attend to right here in the U.S. tonight on Dynamite Fyter Fest in Duluth, Georgia.

It starts with a tag team match that could affect the Zero Hour pre-show at Wembley Stadium this weekend. Aussie Open accepted a challenge from Adam Cole and MJF for the ROH World Tag Team Championship … but that only applies if they’re still champs after facing The Hardys tonight.

The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega will be in different matches Sunday in London, but they’re coming together as The Elite on Dynamite to battle Juice Robinson and The Gunns. Three-quarters of a tag team match (and a Coffin match, at that) at Wembley will see AR Fox and Swerve Strickland step in against Darby Allin and Nick Wayne. And with Tony Khan saying there will be changes to the All In card this week, a match that has everyone watching it with that in mind will see Jon Moxley face off against Rey Fenix.

That’s not even close to all of it. Also promoted for tonight:

  • Jack Perry will “retire” the FTW Championship
  • Skye Blue will battle Ruby Soho
  • Chris Jericho and Will Ospreay have a contract signing for their match at All In
  • FTR and the Young Bucks have a face-to-face interview
  • And Renee Paquette will talk to Adam Cole and MJF before they both team together and fight each other at Wembley

Sounds like a lot, but if ever there was a time to just load up Dynamite to the hilt, it would be the week of the biggest show in AEW history. You’ll want to be watching on TBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET tonight, or simply join us back here at Wrestling Junkie for live AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest results and updates.

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen results 08/16/23: All In takes even more shape

Also on AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen, Britt Baker won her way to London against The Bunny.

In terms of putting in work to elevate a “secondary” title, Orange Cassidy has been doing the textbook definition of it for months now. Yet all good things must come to an end, and you can’t help but feel leading into a special Fight for the Fallen edition of AEW Dynamite (with proceeds going to the Maui Food Bank) that the end might finally be approaching for the Freshly Squeezed one.

It’s not so much that Wheeler Yuta is one of the most lively challengers for his AEW International Championship, though he is definitely that. No, the issue is more that Yuta’s group, the Blackpool Combat Club, just seems like a force of nature right now. The BCC has been running roughshod over Dynamite for weeks, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Yuta gets the victory tonight.

There are other matches on tonight’s card with high stakes. Britt Baker seems like she should be in the four-way championship match at All In, but she’ll need to beat The Bunny to do it. You’d expect the good doctor to do exactly that, but there are also women with vested interests in keeping Baker off the London show, and it’s fair to wonder if any of them will intervene.

Because sponsorships make the world go ’round, there’s a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game coming out, which is why the Deathmatch between Jeff Jarrett and Jeff Hardy, two gents who are old enough to know better, has that particular theme. Plus Darby Allin and Nick Wayne will try to get some measure of revenge against the Gates of Agony as they await the opportunity to get at Swerve Strickland and AR Fox.

Here we go, with Orange Cassidy starting us off.

AEW Dynamite Fight for the Fallen results:

(scroll down for full details on any match or in-ring segment in bold)

  • Orange Cassidy def. Wheeler Yuta by pinfall to retain the AEW International Championship, then gets help from Best Friends and Lucha Bros. to fight off the BCC … as well as Eddie Kingston, back from Japan and anxious for a piece of Claudio
  • Kingston challenges the BCC “and anyone you can find” to a Stadium Stampede match at All In against him, Lucha Bros. and Best Friends
  • Jim Ross sits down with Kenny Omega to talk Don Callis, his childhood and Konsuke Takeshita, but Callis himself interrupts and provides a distraction that allows Takeshita and Bullet Club Gold to attack Omega from behind
  • Hangman Adam Page is outside the hospital and delivers a message about how he and Kota Ibushi will be on hand in London to help fight Takeshita and Bullet Club Gold; also, he gets yelled at for having a beer at the hospital and chugs it
  • Chris Jericho has an answer for Don Callis, but it isn’t what Callis expects, and when he’s caught in a lie, he unleashes Takeshita … and Will Ospreay
  • Jack Perry says he’s going to retire the FTW Championship next week on Dynamite
  • Darby Allin and Nick Wayne def. Gates of Agony by pinfall before Sting reveals he has Prince Nana captive
  • MJF tells Adam Cole they need to get in the minds of their opponents at Zero Hour, so they head to Outback Steakhouse; also, Cole tells Max they can prepare for Aussie Open by watching both Crocodile Dundee movies and they end up getting yelled at by Tony Khan for doing the double clothesline backstage
  • MJF and Adam Cole talk about London, then repulse a sneak attack from Aussie Open
  • A bloody Jericho tells Ospreay he could have just asked for the match at Wembley since it was supposed to happen in 2021, and promises to make Will drink his own blood in London
  • Jeff Jarrett def. Jeff Hardy by pinfall in a Texas Chainsaw Massacre Deathmatch that also drags in about seven other people and … Leatherface?
  • Britt Baker def. The Bunny by pinfall to earn the final spot in the four-way women’s title match at All In
  • A video shoes Billy Gunn retiring and The Acclaimed telling him how much he’ll be missed
  • As The Acclaimed makes their entrance for a squash match, the lights go out, then back up to find the House of Black in the ring; Brody King has a chain wrapped around his fist and uses it to start a monster beatdown
  • Young Bucks def. The Gunns by pinfall, and are bailed out from a post-match attack by Bullet Club Gold by FTR

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.

Will Ospreay is rumored to be headed to AEW All In London — but not to face Kenny Omega

It’s not Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega III, but the match reportedly being considered for Ospreay at All In is intriguing.

Given the importance of AEW All In as the company’s literal biggest show of all time, not to mention the hints provided by Tony Khan since the event was announced, it’s expected that some of New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s top stars will be part of the card. Will Ospreay fits that description, and since All In is taking place in his home country of England, he’s probably a more natural fit than anyone.

The natural expectation is that Ospreay would have a rubber match with Kenny Omega, as the two men have already engaged in two Match of the Year candidates in 2023. But it sounds as if AEW might have another idea in mind for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion.

A new report from Fightful Select (subscription required) says that Ospreay is indeed being considered for All In, but against a legend he’s never faced.

We’re told by NJPW sources that the plan relayed to them in July was Ospreay competing against former AEW, WCW, ROH and WWE World Champion Chris Jericho.

While Jericho has appeared on some NJPW cards in the past, he’s never crossed paths with Ospreay, even in a multi-person match.

Meanwhile, Fightful also notes that Don Callis is expected to be involved somehow. Callis has been trying to recruit Jericho to his “family” for weeks now in AEW, but he assisted Ospreay in defeating Omega at Forbidden Door. One naturally wonders if perhaps Callis’ machinations will somehow tie into his ongoing plans for revenge against his one-time friend, or perhaps Jericho will turn him down and he’ll sic Ospreay on him in revenge.

In any case, while it might not match the frenetic pace and insane risk-taking of Ospreay-Omega, Ospreay vs. Jericho is an intriguing pairing that could qualify as a dream match in its own right to many fans. Though AEW typically doesn’t book even its PPVs too far in advance, All In is now less than a month away, so a potential bout of this caliber could very well take shape over the next few weeks.

Even Eric Bischoff loves Will Ospreay: ‘A tougher Shawn Michaels’

Eric Bischoff enjoyed the way Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega blended modern ring work with old school psychology at Forbidden Door.

It’s fair to say that Will Ospreay is having a moment.

While fans of New Japan and aficionados of the wider world of pro wrestling have been aware of how good the 30-year-old Englishman is for some time, this past weekend’s Forbidden Door event allowed Ospreay to compete on the biggest stage yet in front of a North American audience.

(Though it must be said, Ospreay’s match with Orange Cassidy at Forbidden Door 2022 slapped pretty hard as well.)

Ospreay didn’t disappoint, as he and Kenny Omega managed to somehow top their already incredible first meeting at Wrestle Kingdom in January. Their IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match is being hailed as an instant classic, the type that will live in memory for years to come.

It was the kind of performance that makes new fans, even those who have been around the business for years. Case in point: Former WCW, WWE and TNA executive turned part-time curmudgeon Eric Bischoff.

While he has done some work with AEW, Bischoff has been outspoken about how he dislikes much of what that company does. We’re guessing that would apply to NJPW as well were he exposed to more of it.

But guess who he does like? Ospreay, after getting a chance to watch Omega-Ospreay II. In fact, on his 83 Weeks podcast (h/t Fightful), Bschoff had high praise for the match and for Ospreay in particular, comparing him to a WWE Hall of Famer and unquestioned all-time great.

I did see it. I will also admit that I have not seen much of Will Ospreay’s work, or Omega’s, for that matter. I was blown away. I hate to make comparisons because everybody’s unique and different in their own way, but Ospreay reminds me of a tougher Shawn Michaels. He’s got the look. His in-ring capabilities are just otherworldly at this . It was like the new school, the very athletic, physical, dynamic, incredibly difficult and high-risk type of offense, it had all of that, but it also had Nick Bockwinkel, Verne Gagne-esque psychology.

Bischoff said the match was “awesome,” something with which many fans no doubt agree. Maybe he’ll even tune in for the rubber match between Ospreay and Omega if it happens, and that’s not something he likely would have said prior to Forbidden Door.

Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega say nice things about each other after their bloody Forbidden Door epic

Both victorious Will Ospreay and defeated Kenny Omega said complimentary things about each other after their amazing rematch at Forbidden Door.

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega pushed each other to the limit for the second time this year at Forbidden Door Sunday night in Toronto. In what seems certain to be a Match of the Year finalist for anyone who gives out such honors, they took huge risks, showed incredible heart and bled what seemed like buckets of blood.

They also probably don’t like each other any more now than they did before the sequel to their equally mesmerizing meeting this January at Wrestle Kingdom. But it sounds like they do respect one another.

In a tweet sent earlier today, Ospreay called his victory over Omega “legitimately the most challenging and yet rewarding task of my life” and said that the Canadian superstar had earned the right to say he was “above elite.”

That followed Omega saying that the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship — which Omega had claimed from Ospreay in their first matchup — “is in good hands” while imploring Ospreay to keep it away from Don Callis, who aided the new champ by slipping him a screwdriver.

Omega is apparently OK after a wince-inducing spot during the bout where he appeared to land directly on his head taking a Tiger Driver ’91 from Ospreay. AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan declined to give a detailed update on Omega’s health while talking to the media after Forbidden Door but said he hoped Omega would be fine.

The fact that the series between the two wrestlers is now tied 1-1 raises the prospect of a potential rubber match, with two big events looming as possibilities. AEW is holding its biggest show ever, All Out London in Wembley Stadium, later this summer, and Khan has mentioned that he expects some NJPW talent may be involved.

If that’s too soon to run it back, Wrestle Kingdom is always an option next January in Tokyo. If a third bout does happen, it’s probably not going to see Ospreay and Omega be buddies leading into it, but at least wrestling fans know now the mutual respect between them is definitely there.

Will Ospreay def. Kenny Omega – Forbidden Door 2023 best photos

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega put it all on the line again at Forbidden Door 2023. Relive their epic match through some of its best photos.

If there were any doubts that Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega could top their incredible first match from Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year, they erased them by about the 15-minute mark at Forbidden Door.

Fortunately for fans, there were still about 30 more minutes of breathtaking risks, bloody violence and unbelievable drama before Ospreay had his hand raised and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship back in his possession.

Relive all of the memorable moments with some of the best images from Toronto (photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling).