NJPW G1 Climax Night 18:  Tetsuya Naito Breathes with Jay White's Switchblade

Jay White (12) vs Tetsuya Naito (10)

Image Courtesy: NJPW

Naito aka Destino, and Bullet Club's leader White, the Switchblade, were the main event, and the match between them would determine the winner of the B-Block. White was accompanied by Gedo to the ring, and Gedo always stays at ringside with brass knuckles to change the tide of any fight.

Approaching the ring dressed in a full, beautiful white and purple suit draped with an astonishing cape to a wildly cheering crowd. Would the snake make Naito breathe with the Switchblade, or would Naito show White his true Destino and advance to face Ibushi at the Final? Red Shoes refereed.

To no one's surprise, White rolled out of the ring after the bell rang twice. It didn't phase Naito, who threatened White and completed his beautiful Tranquilo taunt. Naito gave White a taste of his own poison, staying outside of the ring when White finally entered.

Naito refused to keep the fight inside the ring, tossing White into the blue barricades and fighting off Gedo. His options outside of the ring didn't please him any longer, and he pulled White into the ring to choke him on the ropes. Naito ended up cornered once they broke up, and two loud chest slaps from White ate at Naito's strength. He taunted Naito mercilessly inside and outside of the ring, finally relenting and bringing Naito into the ring once it became clear that Unno would refuse to begin a count-out.

The blue barricades took more damage as White threw Naito into them repeatedly, and once more, Unno refused to count to 20. A resting choke hold from White led to Naito eating a forward slam and dragging himself to his feet. How White makes every move he does look effortless, I have no idea!

Naito put White through a poison rana and Combinatione move set. It was still early in the match, so he didn't attempt his finisher yet. Instead, he chose a pair of neckbreakers to soften up White's tender vertebrae. Naito's snap mare and shoulder-focused Full Nelson made White fight hard to break the hold via bottom rope, and he gasped for air after the break.

White fought out of Naito's suplex attempts with a stalling German suplex of his own. They grappled in the middle of the ring and attempted their signature moves until Naito's inseguri landed and White's urinage did as well. Naito reversed White's Kiwi Crusher into a brutal DDT after impressive aerial wiggling. White fought out of Naito's Gloria move and threw Unno into Naito. The distraction didn't work. Gedo wasn't able to take the brass knuckles to Naito after Naito hit a low blow on the man.

A stepping DDT from the top rope got White down, but Naito's Destino finisher was very difficult to complete with White so close to the mat for so long. That threw Naito off his game and White landed a step suplex and Kiwi Crisher. White's finisher didn't keep him down: a poison rana and a Destino finisher took the match into Naito's favor.

The men reversed their finishers so quickly it was hard to decide who was dominant. Naito used a sidestep suplex to reach for the victory, but White hit a sidestep suplex and his Blade Runner finisher. Unno's hand hit the mat: 1, 2, 3. Naito was taught to breath with the Switchblade, and White will face Ibushi tomorrow night in the G1 Climax Finals.

White remained in the ring to call out his Finals opponent, Ibushi, who came to the ring for a spirited discussion. The Switchblade swore to the Golden Star that Gedo wouldn't be in his corner, and they shook hands. That set up Ibushi to take damage from Gedo tonight instead, and White destroyed Ibushi in the ring with a steel chair around Ibushi's knee. White smacked that chair, the trapped tender knee of Ibushi, three times before announcing he would win tomorrow night without a doubt.

Results: Jay White (12) def. Tetsuya Naito (10)

See you tomorrow night as we finish this extraordinary journey together through the first worldwide broadcast of the G1 Climax Tournament!