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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 32: NIGHT 9 REPORT
JULY 31, 2022
AICHI, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
BY SEAN RADICAN, PWTORCH COLUMNIST
Radican’s spoiler-free viewing guide for G1 Climax 32: Night 9
(5) Jeff Cobb vs. Lance Archer (***½)
(6) Yoshi-Hashi vs. Juice Robinson (***¾)
(9) Tetsuya Naito vs. Evil (***¾)
Announcer: Kevin Kelly
(1) ELP & KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & SHO vs. HIROOKI GOTO & TOMOHIRO ISHII & HIROSHI TANHASHi & RYOHEI OIWA
Sho ended up alone in the ring with Oiwa and he tapped him out with a crossarm breaker.
WINNERS: ELP & Yujiro Takahashi & Sho & Kenta at 8:20.
Kenta went after Goto’s staff after the match.
(2) TEAM FILTHY (Tom Lawlor & Royce Isaacs) vs. T.M.D.K. (Jonah & Bad Dude Tito)
Jonah isolated Isaacs in the ring and beat him with the Black Forest Bomb.
WINNERS: Jonah & Bad Dude Tito at 10:02.
(Radican’s Analysis: Good win for Jonah ahead of a big week against Jeff Cobb on Friday and Kazuchika Okada on Sunday.)
(3) UNITED EMPIRE (Aaron Henare & Will Ospreay & Great-O-Khan) vs. Tama Tonga & Jado & David Finlay
Finlay and Ospreay began trading punches as soon as Finlay got inside of the ring. Kelly mentioned that Finlay was in possession of the IWGP U.S. Hvt. Championship. Ospreay wiped out Finlay with a plancha to the floor. Henare got Jado alone in the ring and submitted him with Ultima (Full Nelson).
WINNERS: Great-O-Khan & Will Ospreay & Aaron Henare at 7:29.
Ospreay and Finlay grabbed each other by the head after the match and exchanged heated words. Kelly mentioned Finlay had already beaten Robinson and Takagi in block action. It was also mentioned that Finlay would bring the IWGP U.S. Hvt. Championship that he took from Robinson to his match against Finlay on Tuesday.
Kelly said if Ospreay beats Finlay, he will finally get possession of the physical IWGP U.S. Hvt. Championship.
(Radican’s Analysis: United Empire got the win, but the story was about building up Finlay ahead of his upcoming match in block action against Ospreay.)
(4) SUZUKI-GUN (Taichi & Taka Michinoku & Zack Sabre Jr.) vs. L.I.J. (Shingo Takagi & Bushi & Sanada)
Kevin Kelly said David Finlay had simply beaten Takagi in block action and Takagi didn’t take him lightly or do anything wrong. Kelly said a new KOPW Trophy would be introduced after the G1 ended. Michinoku ended up alone in the ring with all three members of L.I.J. Shingo finished him off with a Pumping Bomber.
WINNERS: Shingo Takagi & Bushi & Sanada at 8:15.
Sabre told Kelly he would never be gracious in defeat again after finishing out Ospreay beat him with his arm under the rope last night.
(Intermission)
Tom Lawlor joined Kevin Kelly on commentary.
(5) JEFF COBB (2 pts) vs. LANCE ARCHER (2 pts) – A Block match
They got off to a fast start. Archer surprised Cobb with a cannonball dive to the floor. Archer chokeslammed Cobb onto the edge of the ring a short time later. Cobb fired back and hit a spin cycle suplex. Kelly mentioned on commentary the shortest average match time belonged to the A block at 11 minutes and change. Cobb set up for a Tour of the Islands, but Archer countered it into a DDT right as the five minute mark passed. Archer blocked another Tour of the Islands and connected with a pounce a short time later. Cobb countered a Blackout attempt and hti a German, but Cobb got right up. Cobb swatted away a chokeslam attempt and hit another German. Archer got up again and Cobb hit a third German. Cobb then hit Tour of the Islands for the win.
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (4 pts) at 11:37. (***½)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was a really fun back and forth match between two big men. This marks two wins in a row for Cobb. Archer drops to 1-2 in the A block.)
Cobb told Kelly he’s the #1 monster in NJPW after the match.
(6) JUICE ROBINSON (2 pts) vs. YOSHI HASHI (2 pts) – D Block match
Robinson jumped Hashi before the bell rang. The ref then called for the bell. Robinson dominated the action and hit a piledriver in the ring for a nearfall. The announcers talked about how Robinson’s former tag partner, David Finlay, had beaten him and taken the IWGP U.S. Hvt. Championship from him in his last block match. Robinson exposed the pads on the floor and set up for a powerbomb, but Hashi countered it into a rana that sent Robinson into the ringpost. Robinson barely beat the 20 count. The fans clapped along as Hashi chopped Robinson over and over in the corner until he collapsed shortly before the 5 minute mark. Robinson got a pinning combination on Hashi, but the ref stopped counting because he was grabbing the tights. Robinson went after the ref, but the ref shoved him down and Hashi got a nearfall with a pinning combination. Hashi countered Pulp Friction and got a sleeper. He quickly dropped Robinson into a backstabber and both men were down as the fans applauded.
They went back and forth. Robinson hit the Left Hand of God, but Hashi countered Pulp Friction into a dragon suplex. He decked Robinson with a lariat. He then hit Karma for the win.
WINNER: Yoshi-Hashi (4 pts) at 12:16. (***¾)
(Radican’s Analysis: This match was really good start to finish with both men wrestling an intense and crisp match.)
Kevin Kelly wondered if Chase Owens would lay down for Jay White in their upcoming block match. Owens tried to recruit Yoshinobu Kanemaru, who was at ringside on Japanese commentary, to join Bullet Club.
(7) CHASE OWENS (2 pts) vs. JAY WHITE (4 pts) (w/Gedo) – B Block match
White handed Owens a thick envelope. He then gave it to an attendant at ringside. Owens went to lie down, but he decided to go and check the envelope. He checked it for a stack of cash. The first bills were real, but the rest were blank. White told Owens he had put the money in the envelope. White then blamed the ringside attendant for taking the money. White said Owens could trust him. He then hit a one finger strike and Owens went down. White went for a quick Blade Runner, but Owens slid out of it. Owens looked at Gedo and White jumped him from behind. Gedo told him to stop and said Owens would go with the plan. Owens ran at White and hit a C-Trigger for a nearfall. Gedo yelled “No, no, no” as Owens went after White on the floor. White went for a package piledriver on the floor and stopped after Gedo begged him to. White tried to catch Owens by surprise with another Blade Runner attempt, but he got out of it.
White got the upper hand and wanted to throw Owens into the barricade, but he stopped and threw him back into the ring. White had the upper hand until White got caught with a neck breaker. Owens went for the package piledriver again and Gedo pleaded with him not to do it. White managed to backdrop his way out of it. The 10 minute mark came and went. White hit a big uranagi for a nearfall. Owens got a rollup for a nearfall. He surprised White with a knee against the ropes a short time later. He went for the package piledriver and White fought out of it. He then hit a Styles Clash for a nearfall. That was a tremendous sequence.
The fans fired up after Owens got the nearfall. Owens hit White again with a knee against the ropes. He set up for the package piledriver, but White countered it into a Blader Runner for the win.
WINNER: Jay White (6 pts) at 13:12. (***¼)
After the match, they bumped fingers for a too sweet.
(8) BAD LUCK FALE (4 pts) vs. KAZUCHIKA OKADA (4 pts) – A Block match
Okada came out and tried to knock Fale down, but couldn’t do it. Fale eventually got the upper hand and stood on Okada while using the ropes for leverage. Okada eventually mounted a comeback and hit a DDT. Kelly mentioned that Okada has had the shortest average time of match in the tournament so far. They went to the floor and Fale tossed Okada into the guardrail. Okada fired back inside the ring and dropped an elbow. He went for the Rainmaker, but Fale countered it into a Samoan drop. Okada went for another Rainmaker, but Fale countered it into a clothesline. He then hit The Grenade, but Okada kicked out at the last second. Okada got the Money Clip a short time later and it was good for the win.
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada via submission (6 pts) at 11:32. (**½)
(9) EVIL (w/Dick Togo) (2 pts) vs. TETSUYA NAITO (0 pts) – C Block match
Kevin Kelly talked about how Naito was 0-2 in the tournament so far and three losses would practically eliminate him from making the finals. Evil tried to jump Naito and went for Everything is Evil, but Naito sent him to the floor. The bell rang and they went at it on the floor. The fans clapped as Naito took off his entrance attire. They went to the floor again and Evil had the upper hand. He hit his signature baseball swing chairshot on Naito. Evil waited inside the ring for Naito, who got back in when the ref reached the count of 18. Kelly mentioned that Naito had lost 11 decisions in a row in G1. Naito hit his signature corner combination and posed for the crowd.
Evil went for a chairshot on the floor, but Naito blocked it and hit Evil in the gut with the chair. Naito wrapped a chair around Evil’s head and did a very prolonged pose before swinging for the fences. Red Shoes ignored what Naito was doing as Togo protested, which was hilarious. Naito mounted Evil in the corner, but he tripped him and Naito’s jaw connected with the turnbuckle pad. Evil shoved Naito right into the guardrail where the timekeeper was sitting and the table fell over.
They went to the floor again and Naito tossed Evil into Togo. He then whipped Evil as hard as he possibly could over the guardrail. Naito hit several elbows inside the ring while pulling Evil into each one. Naito got a running start and hit Destino, but Evil kicked out. Evil blocked a Destino attempt and Togo got up on the apron. Evil threw Naito into the ref and hit a low blow. Naito countered a Magic Killer attempt from Evil and Togo with the ref down. Naito went for a piledriver off the apron to the floor and fell down on the apron. He held onto Evil and regrouped and landed the piledriver through a table. Naito hit Esperanza off the turnbuckles, but Evil blocked a Destino attempt and sent him into the exposed turnbuckle padding. They went back and forth and Togo got up on the apron. Naito used Togo to hit a swinging DDT. He then hit Destino flush in the middle of the ring for the win.
WINNER: Tetsuya Naito (4 pts) at 24:54. (***¾)
(Radican’s Analysis: This was a good main event. Evil’s matches tend to follow the same pattern, but the action moved along more briskly than usual and the fans fired up for the match as Naito overcame Togo’s outside interference. Naito needing a win to stay alive in the tournament and keep his hopes up for main eventing Wrestle Kingdom in January added to the drama of the match.)
Naito cut a promo after the match much to the delight of the crowd.
Overall thoughts: (7.0) – This was a good night of block action. Nothing is really worth going out of your way to see if you’re really strapped for time, but the matches I recommended (Cobb vs. Archer, Hashi vs. Robinson, Evil vs. Naito) were all good to very good matches. The show closing match with Naito fighting to stay alive in the tournament and avoid a third loss provided the most drama on this night.
NJPW has done a good job of bolstering up David Finlay early in the tournament and buiding him up leading into his match against Will Ospreay is a surprise, but he’s got a lot of momentum after beating Juice Robinson and taking the IWGP U.S. Hvt. Championship from him. It will be exciting to see how Finlay does against Ospreay on Tuesday.
Contact Sean at pwtorchsean@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @sr_torch
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