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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33: NIGHT 6 REPORT
JULY 23, 2023
NAGANO, JAPAN AT NAGANO BIG HAT
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Kevin Kelly
(1) ZACK SABRE JR (4 pts) (w/Kosei Fujita) vs. ALEX COUGHLIN (0 pts) – Block D Match
ZSJ started with a series of uppercuts, only for Coughlin to shut him down with a couple of forearm strikes. ZSJ snapped Coughlin’s arm with his feet, but Coughlin forced him to retreat shortly after with a body slam. At ringside, Coughlin nailed ZSJ’s body into the barricade and tried to use his Strong tag title belt, only for Fujita to take it away. Coughlin knocked Fujita down, but the distraction allowed ZSJ to blast him with kicks to the chest and a stomp to the arm.
Coughlin smashed ZSJ into the barricade twice and laid him out with a gutwrench suplex for a two count. ZSJ avoided a corner shoulder strike and immediately hit Coughlin with the neck twist. Coughlin countered a headlock with a backbreaker before pressing his knee on ZSJ’s back of the head. Coughlin tripped ZSJ, setting him up for the inverted Gory Special. ZSJ tried to put Coughlin in a Cobra twist, only for Coughlin to launch him away with a Fallaway slam.
ZSJ caught Coughlin off-guard by trapping him in a modified abdominal stretch using the ropes. Coughlin blocked a kick to the chest and planted ZSJ with a spinebuster for a two count. ZSJ blocked a powerslam with a modified headlock before transitioning into a sleeper hold. Coughlin broke the hold and nailed ZSJ with a powerslam, but he kicked out at two.
ZSJ surprised Coughlin with a kick to the arm, starting a forearm strike exchange afterwards. ZSJ nailed Coughlin with a series of kicks to the upper section, only for Coughlin to shut him down with a lariat. Coughlin dropped ZSJ with a bridging German suplex and a bridging Fallaway slam for a pair of nearfalls. ZSJ managed to take Coughlin down with an armbar before forcing him to tap out with a Triangle Choke.
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr (6 pts) at 11:13. (***1/2)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Pretty good way to open the show. Zack Sabre Jr is excellent at mixing his style with other wrestlers and this battle against Coughlin’s power game was no exception. I’m slightly surprised that they have let Coughlin go winless so far.)
(2) TAMA TONGA (2 pts) vs. MIKEY NICHOLLS (2 pts) – Block C Match
Tonga took the advantage early on with a series of shoulder tackles, until Nicholls shut him down with a delayed vertical suplex. At ringside, Tonga drove Nicholls into the barricade, only to miss a follow-up attack and crash over the barricade. Back in the ring, Nicholls put Tonga in a headlock and floored him with a fireman’s carry slam for a two count. Tonga blocked a backslide and nailed Nicholls with a pair of clotheslines. Tonga nailed Nicholls with a corner splash, followed by a Xploder for a two count. Nicholls caught Tonga with another fireman’s carry slam before starting a forearm strike exchange. Tonga cracked Nicholls with a kick to the head and a cartwheel Death Valley Driver, only for Nicholls to pull him off the top turnbuckle. Nicholls blocked the Stun Gun, knocked Tonga down with a spinebuster and blasted him with a sliding lariat for a two count. Tonga avoided the Mikey Bomb, but was still taken down with an over-the-shoulder cutter. Tonga countered a moonsault with the Gun Stun, followed by a second Gun Stun for the win.
WINNER: Tama Tonga (4 pts) at 9:10. (***)
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was a solid encounter all the way through, but never crossed the line into anything special. Having said that, the final minute or so was really good and Tama Tonga’s Gun Stun out-of-nowhere looked great.)
(3) HIROOKI GOTO (2 pts) vs. SHANE HASTE (2 pts) – Block D Match
Haste immediately blasted Goto with a pair of dropkicks, setting him up for a corner cannonball and a two count. Haste targeted Goto’s damaged ribs with a couple of stomps, only for Goto to turn him inside out with a lariat. Goto shut Haste down with a headbutt, followed by a modified roll-up for a shocking pinfall victory.
WINNER: Hirooki Goto (4 pts) at 2:29. (*3/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Not much to say here since the match was very short. There’s always a handful of these short matches per year, so it isn’t really a complaint. I really thought Shane Haste actually had a decent shot at winning to set up some kind of program between Bishamon and TMDK for the tag titles.)
(4) HENARE (2 pts) vs. EDDIE KINGSTON (2 pts) – Block C Match
Henare immediately knocked Kingston off his feet with a kick to the head. Kingston agreed to still take part in the match before receiving a knee strike to the head for an early nearfall. Henare pummeled Kingston with a barrage of forearm strikes to the chest, forcing Kingston to roll out of the ring. At ringside, Henare maintained control over Kingston with a headbutt and a body shot to the ribs.
Back in the ring, Henare blocked the spinning backfist and smashed Kingston’s shoulder into the mat. Henare beat Kingston down with a series of body shots and a headbutt. Kingston tried to fire up after receiving a kick to the back, but his damaged arm stopped him from getting up. Henare crushed Kingston with a senton before trapping Kingston in a Fujiwara Armbar. Kingston managed to break the hold, hit Henare with a pair of Xploders and knock him off his feet with a lariat.
They started exchanging chops and strikes, until Henare shut Kingston down with a liver punch. Kingston blocked the Rampage and dropped him with a DDT. Kingston avoided a springboard kick to the head, only for Henare to lay him out with a spinning side slam. Henare blasted Kingston with a Penalty kick for a close two count. Henare got driven into the corner with an Irish-whip, but immediately retaliated with Rampage for a two count.
Kingston blocked the Streets of Rage, dropping Henare with a pair of enzuigiris and a half-and-half suplex. Henare cracked Kingston with a thrust kick and the Hammer Head, only for Kingston to knock him out with the Spinning Backfist and a collapse on top of him for a sudden three count.
WINNER: Eddie Kingston (4 pts) at 10:32. (***3/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: That was a great match that could have really turned into something special with more time. Kingston was great working from underneath and matching Henare’s intensity. The ending was very sudden, but it worked well as a shocking knockout. Henare is having a really strong showing in this year’s G1 and he still has names like Ishii and Finlay to step up.)
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(5) TORU YANO (0 pts) vs. TETSUYA NAITO (2 pts) – Block D Match
Before the match, Naito annoyed Yano by taking an incredibly long time making his ring entrance and taking off his entrance attire. Once the match finally started, Yano tried to lock up with Naito, only for Naito to lean on the ropes to break the lock-up. Naito got a series of early nearfalls with a roll-up, an inside cradle and a jackknife pinfall. Yano rolled out of the ring, stalled for a few moments , only for Naito to immediately roll out of the ring.
At ringside, Yano raked Naito’s eyes and smashed him into the barricade before taking out one of the turnbuckle pads. Yano tried to tie Naito’s legs to the barricade with duct tape, but nearly lost via Count Out after Naito tied his hands to the barricade. Back in the ring, Naito tried to take out another turnbuckle pad before mocking Yano with his pose. Yano hit Naito with an atomic drop, followed by a catapult into the exposed turnbuckle. Yano evaded an enzuigiri, but missed a follow-up cannonball, allowing Naito to beat him with a roll-through.
WINNER: Tetsuya Naito (4 pts) at 7:44. (**1/2)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Toru Yano’s matches are very hit-or-miss, but I actually thought this wasn’t half bad. It definitely went on for too long if you include the pre-match shenanigans, but I quite liked the idea of Yano getting increasingly more annoyed at Naito’s attitude.)
(6) TOMOHIRO ISHII vs. SHINGO TAKAGI – Block C Match
They immediately exchanged numerous forearm strikes and shoulder tackles. Takagi managed to bounce into the ropes and knock Ishii off his feet with a shoulder tackle. Takagi nailed Ishii with a knee to the midsection, but immediately shut him down with a shoulder tackle. Ishii pummeled Takagi down with a barrage of chops and elbow strikes to the head. Ishii cracked Takagi with a kick to the back before Takagi started another chop exchange.
Takagi managed to put Ishii down with a delayed vertical suplex, followed by a bunch of chops. Takagi avoided a strike and planted Ishii with a DDT, setting him up for a back suplex for a two count. Ishii blocked a powerbomb with a back body drop before laying Takagi out with a powerslam. Takagi responded with a powerslam of his own before they traded a pair of back suplexes. Takagi blasted Ishii with a clothesline, knocking both men down in the process.
Before Ishii could react, Takagi hit him with a superplex for a close two count. Ishii blocked a power move and dropped Takagi with a suplex, followed by a corner clothesline and a superplex of his own. Takagi floored Ishii with a Death Valley Driver, setting him up for a sliding lariat. Ishii blocked Made in Japan, only for Takagi to knock him off his feet with a load of forearm strikes to the head.
Ishii blocked the Pumping Bomber with a dropkick before putting Takagi down with a powerbomb for a nearfall. Takagi blocked the Sheer Drop Brainbuster and spiked Ishii with a DDT. Ishii blocked a vertical suplex, but was immediately dropped down with Made in Japan for a close nearfall. Ishii kicked out of a sliding lariat at one, only for Takagi to also kick out at one after a lariat.
As soon as Takagi got up, Ishii clobbered him with a lariat, but couldn’t follow it up with a brainbuster. They started exchanging right hands and headbutts, until Takagi put Ishii down with a Tiger Driver for a two count. Ishii caught Takagi with an enzuigiri before receiving an elbow strike to the head and the Last of the Dragon. Takagi was too exhausted to pin Ishii, but was still able to beat him after hitting him with the Pumping Bomber.
WINNER: Shingo Takagi (2 pts) at 18:10. (****1/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: As expected, Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii beat the living crap out of each other for nearly 20 minutes. I liked how Kevin Kelly teased the possibility of a time limit draw, even if they didn’t fully go down to the wire.)
(7) HIROSHI TANAHASHI (2 pts) vs. JEFF COBB (4 pts) – Block D Match
Tanahashi nailed Cobb with a kick to the knee, followed by a headlock. Tanahashi tripped Cobb into the turnbuckle, setting him up for a dropkick to the knee. At ringside, Cobb dove Tanahashi’s back into the ring post and dropped him with a suplex on the apron. Back in the ring, Cobb knocked Tanahashi down with a headbutt before mocking him by using his body as an air guitar. Tanahashi got out of a Bear Hug with a few forearm strikes, only for Cobb to shut him down with a shot to the back.
Cobb missed a standing moonsault, allowing Tanahashi to knock him down with a dragon screw. Tanahashi maintained control over Cobb with a bunch of body shots, a body slam and a somersault senton for a two count. Cobb blocked a sling blade with a dropkick, following it with a standing moonsault, but Tanahashi kicked out at two. Cobb missed a somersault senton, allowing Tanahashi to take him down with Twist-and-Shout and a sling blade.
Tanahashi clocked Cobb with a right hand to the head, only for Cobb to catch the Aces High. Tanahashi countered a powerslam with a sling blade, but missed his attempt at the High Fly Flow. Cobb tried to hit Tanahashi with the Tour of the Islands, only for Tanahashi to get a nearfall out of a roll-up. Cobb nailed Tanahashi with a German suplex before hitting Tanahashi with a sling blade and the Tour of the Islands for the victory.
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (6 pts) at 10:30. (***1/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A pretty good match-up to maintain Jeff Cobb strong as him, Zack Sabre Jr and Tetsuya Naito battle to see who doesn’t make it out of the group. Despite how rough some of his work looked at Collision and Forbidden Door, I think Tanahashi has looked pretty solid in this tournament so far. Nothing spectacular, but far from terrible.)
(8) DAVID FINLAY (4 pts) (w/Gedo & Gabe Kidd) vs. EVIL (4 pts) (w/Dick Togo, Sho & Yujiro Takahashi) – Block C Match
Two extras referees joined in to watch from ringside. They started trading forearm strikes and shoulder tackles while the other members of Bullet Club and House of Torture faced off at ringside. Evil drove Finlay into an exposed turnbuckle before choking him with a T-shirt. Evil put Finlay in an abdominal stretch with assistance from Togo and hit him with a backbreaker. Before Finlay could get up, Evil put him in a Half Boston crab. Finlay kicked Evil away and clotheslined him over the ropes, sending both men to ringside.
Finlay drove Evil into the barricade and smashed his head into the apron. Back in the ring, Finlay stepped on Evil’s hand, Irish-whipped him into the exposed turnbuckle and planted him with a snap suplex. Finlay pummeled Evil with a series of forearms to the head, but Evil avoided a sliding forearm strike. Evil knocked the referee by smashing Finlay’s leg into him before they accidentally knocked the other two referees off the apron.
Bullet Club War Dogs and House of Torture started brawling all over ringside, with Kidd and Yujiro taking their fight away from the ring. Evil avoided an elevated facebuster and Finlay blocked Everything is Evil. Evil knocked FInlay off his feet with a lariat, setting him up for Darkness Falls and a two count. Finlay smashed Evil into the exposed turnbuckle and floored him with a Dominator for a nearfall.
Finlay accidentally tackled the referee into the corner and blasted Finlay with a low blow. Togo choked Finlay with his weapon and dropped him with the Magic Killer alongside Evil for a close two count. Evil put a chair on Finlay’s head and blasted him with a chair shot to the head. Evil grabbed Finlay’s shillelagh while Finlya grabbed his NEVER Openweight title belt. Finlay blocked a shillelagh with his belt and smashed it on Evil’s head, setting him up for Into Oblivion and the win.
WINNER: David Finlay (6 pts) at 16:12. (***)
(Pomares’s Analysis: An actually decent match from Evil. It wasn’t anything that special, but I have a bit of a soft spot for heel vs. heel matches where both sides get a taste of their own medicine. I really thought they would do an angle to establish where does the House of Torture in Finlay’s Bullet Club, especially with this being the main event.)
Overall thoughts: Night Six was a solid show, but a noticeable step-down from a very strong Night Five. Takagi vs. Ishii was outstanding as expected and I loved what we got to see from Henare vs. Kingston and ZSJ vs. Coughlin, but everything else was broadly fine. Finlay vs. Evil didn’t really make sense as the main event if there were no plans for any type of angle. I like where Group B is going by continuing the rivalry between the still undefeated Cobb and ZSJ while Naito is lurking just 2 points behind. Group C has been fine, but I think it’s only going to get truly interesting once Finlay faces the likes of Takagi, Henare and Kingston.
You can contact at mauriciopomares@gmail.com or on Twitter @PomiWrestling
CATCH UP ON THE PREVIOUS REPORT: NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 – NIGHT 5 RESULTS (7/21): Alan4L’s Results & Analysis of Umino vs. Kiyomiya, Okada vs. Taichi, Sanada vs. Tsuji
CHECK OUT OUR NEW JAPAN G1 HEADQUARTERS HERE
OR CHECK OUT PROWRESTLING.NET’S REPORT FOR ANOTHER VIEWPOINT: NJPW “G1 Climax 33 Night Six” results (7/23): Vetter’s review of David Finlay vs. Evil, Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi, Toru Yano vs. Tetsuya Naito, Henare vs. Eddie Kingston
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