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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 34: NIGHT 1 REPORT
JULY 20, 2024
OSAKA, JAPAN AT EDION ARENA OSAKA
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentator: Walker Stewart, Chris Charlton
– The show opened with the traditional music video to showcase this year’s lineup of participants.
– Boltin Oleg arrived wearing gear in the colors of his home country of Kazakhstan.
(1) BOLTIN OLEG (0) vs. REN NARITA (0) – B Block Match
Narita attacked Oleg before the bell rang, only for Oleg to retaliate with a shoulder tackle and force him to roll out of the ring. Narita caught Oleg off-guard with a big boot to knock him off the apron before driving him into the barricade with Irish-whips. Before Oleg could defend himself, Narita clobbered him with a chair and kicked his arm into the guardrail. Back in the ring, Narita knocked Oleg down with a big boot and applied pressure on his left arm.
Oleg managed to attack Narita with a chop, only for Narita to block the follow-up gutwrench suplex and put him in an armbar. Oleg blocked an arm drag and caught Narita with a dropkick, but Narita once again blocked the gutwrench suplex. Narita clocked Oleg with a Guillotine boot, setting him up for Hell’s Guillotine. Oleg broke Narita’s attempt at an armbar and laid him out with an F5 before finishing him with the Kamikaze.
WINNER: Boltin Oleg (2 pts) at 7:37 (**1/2)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A solid opening to the tournament to continue Boltin Oleg’s momentum after his successful run of qualifier matches. While the match was ultimately not very memorable, the statement of pushing Oleg with a big win in his first G1 will be what sticks in the fans’ mind. Additionally, I’m happy to see a Ren Narita match without House of Torture interference. Hope to see more of that.)
– Callum Newman arrived wearing gear inspired by Will Ospreay.
(2) SHOTA UMINO (0) vs. CALLUM NEWMAN (0) – A Block Match
They immediately started the match exchanging right hands and running at high speeds, until Umino dropped Newman with a bodyslam. Newman swept Umino off his feet and crushed him with a double stomp to the back. Newman attacked Uminow with a kick to the back before receiving a dropkick. Umino nailed Newman with a corner uppercut and trapped him in an STF, until he was able to put his boot on the ropes. Umino evaded an enzuigiri, only for Newman to block his Tornado DDT and counter his suplex with Stundog Millionaire.
Newman withstood a shotgun dropkick and immediately blasted Umino with a Penalty kick for a two count. Umino avoided a pump knee before countering the OsCutter with a cutter of his own. Umino cracked Newman with a running to the back, followed by a Tornado DDT and an elevated reverse DDT for a two count. Newman withstood the Ignition and got a pair of two counts with inside cradles. Umino clobbered Newman with a couple of forearm strikes, only for Newman to catch him off-guard with a Spanish Fly. Newman targeted Umino’s neck with a dropkick, setting him up for a diving double stomp to the back and the OsCutter for the win.
WINNER: Callum Newman (2 pts) at 9:46 (**1/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Similar to Boltin Oleg, Callum Newman defeating one of the three musketeers will mean more than the match itself. Speaking of which, I was hoping for a bit more from this match, but Shota Umino’s performance was noticeably off. Hopefully this was just an anomaly and not a sign that Shota isn’t fully healed from his injury.)
(3) EL PHANTASMO (0) (w/Jado) vs. HENARE (0) – B Block Match
Henare knocked ELP down with shoulder tackles, but missed a Disaster Kick. ELP sent Henare out of the ring with a hurracarrana, setting him up for a suicide dive. Back in the ring, ELP crushed Henare with the springboard senton and springboard moonsault combination. Henare withstood ELP’s palm strikes and knocked him off his feet with a kick to the chest. Henare pummeled ELP down with a series of forearms and headbutts, followed by a senton for a two count.
ELP withstood a bunch of clothesline from Henare and turned him inside out with a lariat. Henare caught ELP with a jumping knee and dropped him with the Berzerker Bomb. ELP blocked the Streets of Rage and attacked ELP with a series of forearms before taking his elbow pads. They started exchanging forearms, until Henare smashed ELP with a spinning kick and a lariat for a shocking kick out at one. ELP knocked Henare down with a dropkick, following it with a bunch of kicks to the face.
ELP blocked a running Hammerhead with a thrust kick, setting Henare up for a modified Burning Hammer and Thunder Kiss 86 for a nearfall. Henare blocked CR2 and nailed ELP with a jumping knee before planting him with Rampage for a close two count. ELP countered the Streets of Rage with an inside cradle before receiving a liver shot. Henare immediately hit ELP with Streets of Rage to pick up the victory.
WINNER: Henare (2 pts) at 9:26 (***1/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A pretty good win to start Henare’s run in this tournament while establishing ELP’s likely storyline. I really like ELP, but after this match I can confidently tell he might be about to have his worst G1 run in terms of points. They are really playing up his devastation now that the rest of GoD is WWE-bound, so unless they are planning to have him break out midway through the tournament, I expect a ton of losses in his near future.)
(4) THE GREAT-O-KHAN (0) vs. ZACK SABRE JR (0) (w/Kosei Fujita) – A Block Match
O-Khan immediately caught ZSJ off-guard with a bodyslam over the top rope. At ringside, ZSJ tried to put O-Khan in a Guillotine choke, only for O-Khan to tackle him into the guardrail. They started exchanging strikes into the crowd, until O-Khan nailed ZSJ with a gut punch. ZSJ barely returned to the ring in time before receiving a gutwrench suplex for a two count. O-Khan put ZSJ in a headlock and smashed his knee into the mat. ZSJ caught O-Khan off-guard with the neck twist, following it with a dropkick to the head. O-Khan dropped ZSJ with a monkey flip before they started trading various takedowns while holding each other’s wrist.
O-Khan surprised ZSJ with an Olympic Slam, only for ZSJ to knock him down with an arm drag. Both men clocked each other with uppercuts at the same time, but O-Khan had a quicker follow-up with a shot to the throat and a belly-to-belly slam. ZSJ trapped O-Khan in a Triangle Choke, until O-Khan dropped him with a powerbomb to break the hold. ZSJ knocked O-Khan off his feet with a load of kicks to the chest, only for O-Khan to put him in the Claw. O-Khan tried to go for the Eliminator, but ZSJ countered it with a DDT and got the win with the Zack Driver.
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr (2 pts) at 11:11 (***1/2)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A really fun mix of styles between these two. The early brawling around the ring and into the crowd was surprising, but they made it work well and didn’t have it overstay its welcome. The ending felt kind of sudden, however this was still a good match to start one of this year’s favorite’s campaign.)
(5) HIROOKI GOTO (0) vs. JEFF COBB (0) – B Block Match
They immediately began the match with forearm strikes, until Goto caught Cobb with a running lariat. Cobb knocked Goto off his feet with a shoulder tackle, only for Goto to low-bridge him out of the ring and take him out with a plancha. Back in the ring, Cobb blocked a hip toss and laid Goto out with a clothesline. Cobb dropped Goto with a bodyslam and crushed him with a standing moonsault for a two count. Cobb nailed Goto with a Muramasa, only for Goto to block a bulldog and launch him away.
Goto knocked Cobb down with a dropkick to the knee and attacked Cobb with a series of lariats. Goto crushed Cobb with Muramasa and a bulldog for a two count. Cobb nailed Goto with a punch, but Goto quickly shut him down with Ushigoroshi. Cobb blocked the GTR, only for Goto to get a nearfall with a roll-through. Goto blocked the Tour of the Islands and got a close two count with a crucifix pinfall. Cobb lifted Goto’s body in a vertical suplex position before finishing him with the Tour of the Islands.
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (2 pts) at 7:24 (***1/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: These two have great chemistry together and really made me think Cobb would start his campaign with a loss. This ended up being on the shorter side of the spectrum, but was filled with nonstop action.)
(6) SANADA (0) vs. JAKE LEE (0) – A Block Match
Both men pushed each other to the ropes, until Sanada caught Lee with a dropkick to the knee. Sanada targeted Lee’s knee with a bunch of kicks, only for Lee to shut him down with a chokeslam for a two count. Sanada blocked a big boot into the corner and dropped Lee with the Magic Screw, setting him up for a moonsault and a two count. Lee withstood a Shining Wizard to the back of the head and blocked a front one. Sanada surprised Lee with an O’Connor Roll and a dropkick. Lee evaded a springboard move and knocked Sanada out with the Facebreak shot.
WINNER: Jake Lee (2 pts) at 4:57 (**)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Wow. They are really committed to pushing Jake Lee in this year’s tournament. Beating a former world champion in less than five minutes is a shocking statement to say the least.)
(7) YUYA UEMURA (0) vs. DAVID FINLAY (0) (w/Gedo) – B Block Match
Finlay knocked Uemura down with a shoulder tackle, only for Uemura to respond with a hip toss and an arm drag. Uemura blasted Finlay with a series of chops before Finlay attacked with a series of his own. Finlay shoved Uemura off the apron, making him crash into the guardrail. Finlay rammed Uemura the guardrail three times in a row and tossed his body over it. Back in the ring, Finlay drove Uemura into the corner with an Irish-whip, following it with a running uppercut and a release suplex. Uemura caught Finlay with a series of arm drags and dropkicks, followed by a corner clothesline and a bulldog.
Finlay stopped Uemura atop the turnbuckle with headbutts and floored him with a superplex for a two count. Finlay planted Uemura with a backbreaker and clobbered him with forearms to the back. Uemura caught Finlay off-guard with a splash and a back body drop. Uemura clotheslined Finlay out of the ring, setting him up for a huge plancha. Back in the ring, Uemura whacked Finlay with a diving strike to the head, following it with a back suplex. Uemura crushed Finlay with a high crossbody, but he kicked out at one. Uemura blocked the Dominator and got a couple of close calls with pinning combinations before laying Finlay out with an uranage.
Both men landed on their feet after back suplex attempts, until Finlay dropped Uemura with a modified Blue Thunderbomb. Finlay flattened Uemura with the Dominator for a close two count. Uemura dropped Finlay with a bridging German suplex, followed immediately by a dragon suplex for a nearfall. Finlay blocked the Kanukki Suplex and launched Uemura away with a belly-to-belly suplex. Uemura clocked Finlay with a Pele kick, only for Finlay to turn him inside out with a lariat. Finlay hit Uemura with two buckle bombs, but Uemura countered a third one with a hurracarrana for the three count.
WINNER: Yuya Uemura (2 pts) at 16:23 (***3/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: Easily one of Yuya Uemura’s best performances since returning from excursion. While I don’t expect Uemura to move on to the next round, an upset win over Finlay should get a future title shot which based on this encounter should be a fun rematch.)
(8) GABE KIDD (0) vs. EVIL (0) (w/Dick Togo) – A Block Match
Kidd immediately crushed Evil and Togo before the match could start with a Tope con Hilo. Kidd took care of Togo with a brainbuster and knocked Evil down with a Triangle moonsault. At ringside, Kidd trammed Evil into the guardrail, forcing him to crawl into the crowd. Kidd picked up a couple of chairs, but Evil quickly stole one from him. They swung the chairs into each other numerous times, until Kidd knocked Evil off his feet with a strike to the head. Kidd prepared for a massive running dropkick, only for Evil to throw a chair at his face. Evil put a chair on Kidd’s head and clobbered him with a chair shot.
Evil entered the ring, as the bell finally rang. Kidd struggled to return to the ring, allowing Evil to drive him into the corner with an Irish-whip. Evil blasted Kidd with chops to the chest before gouging his eyes. Kidd caught Evil off-guard with a headbutt and a clothesline, followed by a barrage of chops to the chest and a punch to the face. Kidd planted Evil with an elevated facebuster, only for Evil to retaliate with a stomp to the head. Evil laid Kidd out with a fisherman suplex before they started exchanging lariats.
Evil knocked Kidd off his feet with a discus clothesline and turned him inside out with a running lariat for a shocking kick out at one. Kidd targeted Evil’s eyes and launched him away with a backdrop driver for a two count. Kidd blocked a low blow attempt and the Magic Killer before dropping Evil with a Brainbuster and a lariat for a nearfall. Togo tried to distract Kidd, but Evil immediately knocked him off the apron. Kidd shoved the referee out of the ring, only for Togo to choke him out. Evil hit Kidd with a low blow, setting him up for the Magic Killer alongside Togo. Evil planted Kidd with Everything is Evil to pick up the win.
WINNER: Evil (2 pts) at 10:21 (***1/2)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A genuinely great and hard-hitting match between Kidd and Evil, up until the finish. I’m tired of House of Torture shenanigans, but at least it was cool to see Evil wrestle a mostly straight up singles match.)
(9) YOTA TSUJI (0) vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (0) – B Block Match
Tsuji put Takeshita in a hammerlock and a wrist lock, until Takeshita cornered him and missed an elbow strike. Tsuji caught Takeshita off-guard with a strike to the abdomen, followed by a mocking kick to the face. Takeshita gouged Tsuji’s eyes and knocked him off his feet with the Takeshita Line. Takeshita crashed into Tsuji with a massive Tope con Hilo and dropped him throat-first onto the guardrail with a flapjack. Before Tsuji could react, Takeshita clobbered him with a forearm strike and crushed him with a diving senton.
Tsuji caught Takeshita with a pair of boots to the face, followed by a double stomp to the face. Tsuji sent Takeshita out of the ring with a hurracarrana, setting him up for a Tope con Hilo of his own. Back in the ring, Tsuji nailed Takeshita with a flatliner, a stomp to the head and a gutbuster for a two count. Tsuji trapped Takeshita in a Boston Crab, transitioning it into a stomp to the shoulder. Both men attempted to hit each other with a suplex, until Takeshita spiked Tsuji with a Brainbuster. Takeshita caught Tsuji with a jumping knee strike, followed by a bridging German suplex for a nearfall.
Tsuji stopped Takeshita atop the turnbuckle with an enzuigiri, but couldn’t follow up with a superplex. Both men fell off the top turnbuckle, but quickly got back up to exchange right hands. Tsuji clocked Takeshita with a headbutt and flattened him with a Spanish Fly for a nearfall. Takeshita evaded the Gene Blasted and hit him with a German suplex, followed by a big boot and a poison rana. Tsuji blocked the Power Drive Knee with a thrust kick and laid Takeshita out with a Falcon Arrow.
Tsuji clobbered Takeshita with a series of uppercuts, until he responded with a brutal forearm to the head. Takeshita tried to go for a Blue Thunderbomb, only for Tsuji to take him down with a roll-through. Tsuji knocked Takeshita down with a headscissors takeover and nailed him with a headbutt. Tsuji crushed Takeshita with the Malo Crash, but he managed to kick out at two. Takeshita blocked the Gene Blaster with the Power Drive Knee, setting him up for a Blue Thunderbomb and Raging Fire for the victory.
WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita (2 pts) at 17:12 (****1/2)
(Pomares’s Analysis: This was by far my most anticipated match going into Night One and it absolutely delivered. Just two incredibly complete wrestlers showcasing every aspect of their game for 17 minutes. Takeshita winning the match of the night so far starts his G1 run on a great note while Tsuji’s loss continues the story that the Reiwa musketeers all started their campaigns with defeats.)
(10) TETSUYA NAITO (0) vs. SHINGO TAKAGI (0) – A Block Match
Both men avoided each other’s clothesline, until Takagi knocked Naito down with a shoulder tackle. Naito evaded a senton and did his pose, only for Takagi to crush him with the senton. Takagi clotheslined Naito out of the ring and drove him into the guardrail twice. Takagi dropped Naito face-first onto the apron and laid him out with a snap suplex on the floor. Back in the ring, Takagi knocked Naito off his feet with a bunch of jabs and a back suplex. Takagi blocked a boot to the face and dropped Naito with a suplex before trapping him in an STF.
They started trading forearm shots, until Takagi knocked Naito down with a huge chop to the chest. Naito caught Takagi with a hip toss into a backbreaker, following it with an arm drag and a dropkick to the back. Naito hit Takagi with a neckbreaker, followed by a modified armbar, forcing him to put his feet on the ropes. Takagi blocked Gloria and a Tornado DDT before spiking Naito with a DDT. Takagi clobbered Naito with a sliding Pumping Bomber, setting him up for a powerbomb and a two count.
Naito blocked Made in Japan with an arm drag, an enzuigiri and Gloria. Naito nailed Takagi with Esperanza and sat him atop the turnbuckle, only for Takagi to flatten him with Stay Dream for a nearfall. They started exchanging forearm strikes, until Takagi clobbered Naito with a headbutt and a sliding Pumping Bomber. Takagi planted Naito with another Pumping Bomber and Made in Japan, but he kicked out at two. Naito blocked the Last of the Dragon and managed to counter a second attempt with Destino.
Naito stopped Takagi atop the turnbuckle with forearmand launched him away with an avalanche hurracarrana. Takagi missed another Pumping Bomber, allowing Naito to take him down with a Tornado DDT. Takagi blocked Destino twice before receiving a couple of kicks to the head. Takagi planted Naito with Takagi Driver 98 for a close two count. Before Naito could get up, Takagi knocked him out with a sliding Pumping Bomber and the Last of the Dragon.
WINNER: Shingo Takagi (2 pts) at 23:14 (***3/4)
(Pomares’s Analysis: A strong ending to the first night of the G1 Climax, featuring a dominant performance from Shingo Takagi who forced Naito to work from underneath for most of the match. I was pleasantly surprised to see Shingo defeat Naito, however it kind of makes me think Shingo’s chances of winning the whole thing decrease since he already beat the champion, therefore, already has a claim to a title match. This had a couple of wonky spots, especially Naito’s Destinos, but for the most part this was one of his best matches since the first Moxley match.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A really strong opening to this year’s G1 Climax. All the debutantes got wins in their first show which should be a healthy sign that this could be a very unpredictable tournament. Aside from a disappointing showing from Shota Umino, everything on the card either delivered or over delivered (or in the case of Sanada vs. Lee was shocking and newsworthy). Most of the show is worth watching with recommendations for ZSJ vs. O-Khan, Uemura vs. Finlay, Takagi vs. Naito and shockingly Evil vs. Kidd. However, the big must-watch of the show and already setting up a high benchmark for this year’s match of the tournament was Konosuke Takeshita vs. Yota Tsuji.
You can contact Marucio at mauriciopomares@gmail.com or on Twitter @PomiWrestling
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