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The G1 Climax is a yearly 19-night tournament held by NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) to determine the most tenacious member of the roster.
For the first time, all of the events will be available legally outside of Japan without a time delay via the NJPWWorld streaming service and with a delay on AXS TV. There are two blocks with 10 fighters per block.
Each fighter will have a match with every other fighter in their block, and they are awarded 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and none for a loss. The highest scoring fighter from each block will face off at the Finale. Night 2 was a B-block night, opening with 4 short tag matches.
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Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Yuya Uemura vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA & EVIL)
Los Ingobernables de Japon intimidated the crowd in stunning gothic attire. Ibushi, Osprey, and Uemura had far more simple entrances but the crowd was strongly in that trio’s corner.
Ibushi and EVIL traded strikes but Ibushi’s unrelenting kicks gave him the early advantage. Once Ibushi’s ankle became BUSHI’s target, the situation changed drastically. A dropkick and Busharooni kept Ibushi down long enough for SANADA to tag in and do some damage.
EVIL kept Ibushi from tagging out, but he was unable to complete Darkness Falling, his finishing move. Ibushi tagged Osprey in as EVIL tagged SANADA. They took the fight into the air, and Osprey was able to foil BUSHI’s attempts to bring the pain and tag in Uemura. He then took multiple blows from all of Los Ingobernales but kicked out of BUSHI’s attempt to pin. That luck didn’t last long, and BUSHI next attempt was successful.
Result: Los Ingobernales de Japon defeated Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay & Yuya Uemura via pinfall
Suzuki-gun (Lance Archer & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. Bullet Club (Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale)
Bullet Club entered with a calm dominant attitude, but calm had nothing to do with Archer’s entry whatsoever. Suzuki-gun’s first half feels unpredictable and violent from the outset. Archer fought Fale first, and their partners attacked their opponents mercilessly.
Owens tagged in and took damage from Archer before fighting Kanemaru to a near-standstill. Archer and Fale fought the legal men and then each other, taking the scuffle outside of the ring. Owens and Kanemaru beat the 20-count to roll back into the ring, and a dropkick to Owens’ knee gave him the advantage.
Once Archer and Fale began throwing the legal men around, Kanemaru spat whiskey into Fale’s eyes. Still, in quick order, he fell to Owens’ package piledriver. In his rage, Archer was happy to send a message: “Fale, everybody dies, including you.”
Result: Bullet Club def. Suzuki-gun via pinfall
Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita vs. KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks
All of the fighters brawled in the ring before the bell, Connors and Narita grappling first. Most of the men in this fight are still young lions, so the stakes here were high. Every pinfall attempt failed, but Fredericks tagged KENTA in to continue the onslaught against Tanahashi.
Umino continued to show great potential for star power, and it currently looks as though he’ll be taking on his father’s Unno nickname. Still, the veterans were the highlight throughout the match.
Narita’s textbook vertical suplex putting Fredericks in danger before Connors interfered. Connors took a belly-to-belly suplex for his troubles. Fredericks’ dropkick, spinebuster, and Boston crab submission hold brought KENTA’s team to gain the win.
Result: KENTA, Clark Connors & Karl Fredericks def Hiroshi Tanahashi, Shota Umino & Ren Narita vis submission.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Suzuki-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Minoru Suzuki)
Suzuki-gun entered the ring first, both men cocky as always though their presentation was simple. CHAOS came in strong, with the commentary reminding us that Rainmaker had survived his Dark Okada phase.
Okada and Sabre Jr. locked up first, with Sabre Jr.’s nimble style keeping Okada on his toes. He showed his mastery of beautiful, powerful submission and rest holds early and late in this match. Suzuki and YOSHI-HASHI tagged in and delivered strikes to each other before taking the fight out to the barriers.
Sabre Jr. and Suzuki held the advantage in that area, as YOSHI-HASHI was left to beat the 20-count. Suzuki dominated YOSHI-HASHI in brutal submission holds. YOSHI-HASHI’s foot found the ropes, and Sabre Jr. tagged in. He and Suzuki traded tags again to keep YOSHI-HASHI down, though, after a pinfall attempt, YOSHI-HASHI rallied.
Both men tagged out, and Okada’s strength was met with Sabre Jr.’s black widow hold. Suzuki broke it up and it still took Okada throwing Sabre Jr. across the ring to give himself enough space to tag out. Sabre Jr. relied on his unbreakable armbar hold to make YOSHI-HASHI submit. Sabre Jr. left the ring with his title on his shoulder, confident and smarmy.
Result: Suzuki-gun def. CHAOS via submission
G1 Climax Day 2: B-Block began next.
Juice Robinson vs. Shingo Takagi
The first G1 Climax 29 B-Block match saw Robinson and Takagi continue their rivalry from Day 1’s tag team exhibition, Robinson took the first intense hit from Takagi when the latter introduced the former’s head to the ringside floor with a DDT. Takagi threw Robinson around with ease in an attempt to make him submit. He failed with flair.
Robinson rallied with a spear and a spinebuster when Takagi tried to start his aerial attacks. Takagi kicked out of two-pin attempts only to take Juice Box, Cannonball, and Jackhammer attacks from Robinson. Takagi’s lariat attacks continued to save him until Robinson gave him a taste of his own medicine.
Robinson didn’t hold the advantage for long, but Takagi failed to complete his finisher, the Made In Japan. Robinson completed his, the Pulp Friction, and won over the Dragon handily.
Result: Juice Robinson def. Shingo Takagi via pinfall
Jon Moxley vs. Taichi
The gorgeous Miho Abe came valeted Taichi, the Holy Emperor, and their masks and elaborate blue and gold outfits marked them as the rock and roll stars they are. Taichi sang the end of his theme song, and Moxley’s began, the Death Rider’s entrance ringing through the G1 crowd setting them on fire.
Taichi left the ring and attacked Moxley before the match began, leaving Abe in the ring to be cute and well-dressed as he indulged in violence. Their brawling continued as they came back to the ring and Taichi made an attempt to keep him from the ring for the 20-count. Moxley got back to the ring at 18 and kicked out of Takagi’s pin attempt.
From there, he dominated the match with both aerial attacks and simple hard strikes. The furniture became involved as Mox set up a table and after gaining the upper hand, Taichi found himself amongst the broken remains of said table. Taichi threw Moxley into the referee after kicking out of a quick pin attempt. He then involved a chair, but Moxley had it in short order, taking Taichi down before the ref entered the ring again.
Moxley delivered his DDT finish, the Death Rider, to pick up the 2-point win. He left the ring reminding anyone watching to not “p*** him off”.
Result: Jon Moxley def. Taichi via pinfall
Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito
Naito’s oxblood cape and cream-suit made a subtle yet powerful statement. Yano, his bright haori jacket, and his bright red steel chair left a very different impression. Red Shoes Unno stood tall as the referee, and Yano complained relentlessly until the bell rang.
Then he complained relentlessly after the bell rang. He attempted to take off the turnbuckle cover and took a harsh bump for it. Everything about this match was centred around taunting each other and baring the turnbuckles. Naito was more effective at both but had to kick out of two pinfalls. Then Yano became silly and sly, his most dangerous form.
Yano tugged Unno and Naito’s shirts over their faces, delivered a low blow to Naito, and rolled him up for a surprise victory. Afterwards, Naito confronted Unno who stood his ground as always.
Result: Toru Yano def. Tetsuya Naito via pinfall
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb
Cobb rocked his signature shiny black and gold singlet, contrasted by Ishii’s much simpler black and white MMA-inspired gear. Cobb opened his offence with feats of strength, breaking Ishii’s early momentum.
Cobb grimaced at the crowd, dominant as he delivered chest chops along every side of the ring. Ishii returned them in far faster form. Elbows and chops were both men’s weapons of choice, chipping away at each others’ significant endurance. Grappling and throws followed, leaving Ishii to weakly kick out of Cobb’s pinfall attempt. The men were so well matched that even though they were only using a few moves repeatedly they were able to enchant the crowd.
Cobb delivered a beautiful suplex that nearly gave him the victory. Ishii’s resilience found him delivering an angled superplex, but Cobb was happy to give him one in return. Ishii kicked out of Cobb’s pinfall attempt at the 2-count. Cobb headbutted Ishii so hard that he was able to easily deliver a brutal piledriver. Ishii kicked out once more.
Cobb attempted his Tour of the Islands finisher and failed, leaving him open to Ishii’s suplex. They traded suplexes and hard lariat strikes until the crowd was chanting. Ishii’s dragon suplex couldn’t put Cobb away, nor could his German suplex. Cobb was able to free himself during two pinfall attempts, but he fell to Ishii’s vertical brainbuster.
As the men were helped out of the ring and to the back, I realized I loved the ubiquitous blue ice packs used to contain neck swelling after matches. I need one, just like Cobb needed this victory.
Result: Tomohiro Ishii def. Jeff Cobb via pinfall
Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White
The villainous leader of Bullet Club was accompanied to the ring by Gedo and revelled in the crowd’s raucous boos. They were psyched to see Goto have a high-stakes match with White, cheering the CHAOS faction member. Gedo and White share a too-sweet sign as Goto prepared himself.
White immediately left the ring to open a steel chair...and offer it to Gedo, who sat with a smug smile to watch the action. White and Goto locked up in the ring before doing the same at ringside. Goto’s superior strength met White’s attempts at dominance, but Gedo made sure to keep White in the game.
Gedo’s sadistic smile served as a backdrop for White’s sending Goto into the ring apron, the railing, the ring edge, and the railing once more before rolling him into the ring. Red Shoes Unno kept White from pinning Goto after his illegal moves outside of the ring. White’s next attempt to pin Goto failed, but White’s submission hold and elbow strikes kept Goto from dominating the match.
White happily used hair pulling to attempt victory but Goto’s spinning clothesline stopped White’s momentum. White regained it with a trio of DDTs, but he couldn’t pin Goto. Mind games from White meant Goto took a suplex and a clothesline that laid him out.
Goto’s clothesline meant nothing to White, who taunted Goto and shoved Unno. As White put his attention on Unno instead of Goto, he took a series of strikes and a high angle drop for his hubris. Still, he grinned as he stayed low and took minimal damage.
A headbutt from Goto lead to a reverse GTR, and the men countered each other’s finishers in quick succession. White was no longer smiling. White kicked out of pinfall after pinfall, but Ishii’s finisher, the GTR, assured Goto’s win.
Result: Hirooki Goto def. Jay White via pinfall
Vince Russo answers who killed WCW HERE
