NJPW G1 CLIMAX 34 RESULTS – NIGHT 5: Lansdell’s report and analysis on Evil vs Naito, Sabre Jr vs Lee, and more

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 34 NIGHT 5 REPORT
JULY 27, 2024
DEJIMA MESSE NAGASAKI
NAGASAKI, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD

Walker Stewart was on solo duty for commentary. He would later be joined by Henare for the singles matches.

(1) SHOMA KATO & KATSUYA MURASHIMA vs. HENARE & KONOSUKE TAKESHITA

The strange bedfellows miscommunicated often, each man trying to be in the ring and arguing with the other. As a result the young lions got a bit more than normal here before succumbing to…a forearm?

WINNERS: Henare and Takeshita via pinfall in 7:00. (*1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: With no obvious allies in the promotion, I like having Takeshita team with his opponents. It’s a fresh take on preview tags.)

(2) EL PHANTASMO & GEDO vs. BOLTIN OLEG & TORU YANO

Some people will tell you that comedy has no place in wrestling. I like to call those people “wrong”. It’s also likely they have no soul. The undercard is the perfect place for a palate-cleansing laugh match, and this fit the bill well.

WINNERS: Yano and Oleg via pinfall in 6:00 (*1/2)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: I mean, it wasn’t good. But it was fun.)

(3) YUYA UEMURA & TAKA MICHINOKU vs. JEFF COBB & FRANCESCO AKIRA

Akira, whose chest already looked like ground beef, was subjected to a couple of resounding chops in this match. He might not survive this tour with all his ribs intact. He did manage to secure the win for his team though, pinning Taka.

WINNERS: Akira and Cobb via pinfall in 6:00. (*1/4)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Uemura looked good here, but he is never beating the Ricky Steamboat allegations. Mind you, there are far worse people to resemble in terms of ring style.)

(4) DAVID FINLAY & GEDO vs. REN NARITA & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU

There was brawling, there was cheating, there was Kanemaru pinning Gedo. Most of the match saw Narita and Finlay brawling outside, which subjected us to Kanemaru and Gedo wrestling. Yay.

WINNERS: Narita and Kanemaru via pinfall in 5:00. (*1/4)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: I get why they went this way with the match. I just wish they hadn’t. )

(5) HIROOKI GOTO & TOMOAKI HONMA vs. YOTA TSUJI & BUSHI

Tsuji did what Tsuji does, flattening Honma on his way to the win.

WINNERS: Tsuji and Honma via pinfall in 6:00. (*1/2)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Not much to see here. )

(6) SHINGO TAKAGI (4 points) vs. CALLUM NEWMAN (2 points) – A Block match

On paper this should have been a complete walkover and a dissonant clash of styles. We don’t have matches on paper though.

The crowd was vocal in their support for Shingo as the bell rang. After an exchange of early holds, Shingo ran through Newman with a shoulder tackle. Newman popped right up and ducked a series of attacks, but Shingo avoided Newman’s usual running boot and they ran the ropes some more. They traded a pair of shoulder tackles, Newman avoided a PK, Shingo ducked a head kick, Newman connected with a second one, Shingo blocked the Os-Cutter, and Chris was out of breath. Good grief.

Shingo applauded Newman’s efforts and offered his hand. They shook hands, but it was a ruse. A facade, even. Shingo pulled Newman in and dropped him with a Northern lariat, then sent him to the outside. He followed Newman to the floor and whipped him to the barricade, then dropped him face-first on the apron. He followed up with a DDT on the floor before posing for the fans. The referee started his count with Newman down. Shingo rolled Newman back inside at nine, and dropped an elbow on his chest. A senton splash followed at the five minute mark.

Shingo stayed in control with a suplex for a two-count. He showed an amount of hubris that is usually a sign that things are about to turn, slowly pacing around Newman and inviting him to strike. Newman obliged with a series of forearms, but got dropped with a single stiff chop. Newman popped right up into an enzuigiri, hit a sliding drop kick to trip Shingo, then double-stomped his back. Shingo rolled to the apron but was dropkicked off it. Newman hit a sweet triangle moonsault to the floor!

Back in the ring, Newman hit a top-rope flying forearm for a two-count. A strike combo and a PK got another two-count. He called for the Os-cutter but Shingo saw it coming and caught him in the backslide position, then dropped him with the Noshigami facebuster. Takagi time! Shingo laid in some hammer and anvil elbows, Newman ducked a sliding lariat but Shingo caught the counter roundhouse kick and dropped Newman with a headbutt. Sliding lariat connected, but only got a one-count! Newman caught a charging Shingo with a head kick, but Shingo absorbed it! A pumping bomber lariat by Shingo got a near fall.

Shingo went for Last of the Dragon but Newman fought free. Shingo hit a barrage of blows but Newman came back with a roaring elbow and a busaiku knee to leave both men down. He went for the Os-cutter again, Shingo followed him into the ropes but Newman was able to turn the counter into a Spanish Fly for a near fall. Good grief the pace of this match! Hurricane kick connected for Newman! Os-cutter…NO! Shingo nailed him with a lariat to the back of the head! What a counter! A standing lariat got a near fall. Shingo went for Last of the Dragon again, Newman escaped but only long enough to get planted with a poison rana.

Shingo took exception to the young man’s resilience and hit a back elbow and his feint DDT combo. Newman kicked right out of the cover and hit the Os-cutter out of nowhere! 1…2…3! Massive upset!

WINNER: Callum Newman (4) via pinfall in 13:00. (***3/4)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: Wow. This was easily Newman’s best match yet. I don’t want to overlook that as much as Shingo guided him to that point, Newman also guided Shingo through a match that was extremely different from his usual style. Both men adapted and worked together to make a delicious dish. It was a little repetitive which drags the rating down, but this was an excellent match and worth watching back.)

(7) SANADA (2) vs. GABE KIDD (2) – A Block match

I have complained (a lot, actually) about the damage done to Sanada by his new look and theme. The change to a heavier version of that theme might help, but he still needs something to distinguish himself as a character. Gabe Kidd on the other hand is doing great character work. If he hadn’t been immensely critical of AEW and Tony Khan, he would be on their radar for sure.

Kidd jawjacked before the bell, to the surprise of literally nobody. He got the better of some early mat wrestling exchanges, which likely surprised a few more people. They locked up but Kidd resorted to biting Sanada’s ear Tyson-style, then took Sanada to the mat with a kimmura. Talk about a contrast! Sanada made it to the ropes, then to the floor. Kidd followed and whipped Sanada to a barricade, then to another barricade. Kidd found a chair under the ring and took it and Sanada out into the crowd.

Kidd targeted the arm of Sanada with a chairshot, then threw the chair at the same arm. The referee went back to the ring to administer the count, while Kidd took Sanada to the back of the arena and smacked his head off the wall. Kidd ran back to the ring at 14, and Sanada had to sprint to get there at 19. Kidd continued to work the left arm, which he also did in last year’s G1 when Sanada tore his bicep. Love the long-term story.

Kidd made a lew gesture before yanking Sanada to the mat by the arm. A cover got a two-count at the five-minute mark. Kidd perched Sanada on the top rope, which is how Sanada got injured last year, but Sanada fought free. Kidd taunted Sanada, asking Sanada to hit him. Sanada poked him in the eyes casually, which was hilarious. Kidd reversed a whip and once again bit Sanada, on the forehead this time. He whipped Sanada into the ropes, but Sanada came off with a basement dropkick and then a traditional one, sending Kidd to the outside. Sanada joined him with a slingshot plancha. Back in the ring, a Russian leg sweep got a two-count. Sanada went for the TKO but Kidd countered with a kimmura, then suplexed him overhead and into a corner pad while holding the kimmura. Kidd locked in a modified crossface, but Sanada made the ropes.

Kidd continued to taunt Sanada, and went for his Drilla Hole piledriver. Sanada blocked it, so Kidd slapped him on the back. Somehow that (and not all the taunting and lewd gestures) was the last straw for Sanada. A flurry of straight left hands was followed by a stiff European uppercut and an enzuigiri. Sanada ducked a rebound lariat and hit the magic screw neckbreaker. Kidd ducked the Shining Wizard attempt and hit a Northern lariat, but his piledriver attempt was countered by a back body drop. Kidd went for a German suplex, Sanada landed on his feet and connected with a Shining Wizard! Deadfall…countered into the piledriver! An exhausted Kidd covered half-heartedly for a near fall.

Kidd tried a second piledriver but Sanada countered into a headscissors. Kidd came back with a high kick, Sanada returned fire with his own, then tried to come off the top into Skull End. He overshot on the flip but it didn’t look too awkward, and Kidd countered it anyway and tried for a tombstone. Sanada slid out the back, Kidd went for the kimmura again…Deadfall out of nowhere! 1…2…3!

WINNER: Sanada (4) via pinfall in 12:00. (***1/4)

(Lansdell’s Analysis: It was pretty good, and I enjoyed the call back to Sanada’s arm injury that was caused by Kidd last year. Unfortunately Sanada’s style just doesn’t click for me. They didn’t really do anything wrong, and the match was pretty smooth, but it didn’t really hook me. I’m curious whether that arm injury plays a role later in the tournament.)

(8) SHOTA UMINO (2) vs. GREAT-O-KHAN (0) – A Block match

I am a big fan of entrances, so I rarely skip through them. That said, I really did not need to have Umino’s theme stuck in my head all day. Three and a half minutes of his entrance might also be a little bit of overkill. Walker Stewart mentioned that some fans are starting to turn on Umino, which is an interesting aside worth watching for.

The match started with a protracted elbow exchange in the middle of the ring. Umino scored the first knockdown at the end of the exchange, but it was short-lived as O-Khan lifted him and deposited him over the top to the floor. He whipped Umino into a barricade, followed up with a Mongolian chop, then rolled Umino back inside. A scoop slam was good for a one-count only. O-Khan stomped on Umino in the corner, whipped him to the opposite corner, and charged into Umino’s boot. O-Khan absorbed the blow and clamped on a head-and-arm choke. Umino got to the ropes for a break, but O-Khan applied an inverted triangle choke. He transitioned to a cover for a two-count, then kicked Umino in the spine for another two. A judo-style hip toss got another two-count.

Umino tried to tough out some strikes, and came back with a flurry of his own. A dropkick from Umino turned the tide at the five-minute mark. He charged O-Khan in the corner with a forearm, and hit a fisherman’s suplex for a two count. O-Khan countered an exploder by locking in a guillotine choke, then pump-kicked Umino in the back. Umino tripped O-Khan to leave him leaning on the second rope, then hit a slingshot DDT onto the apron! That’s the hardest part of the ring! He rolled O-Khan back inside, went to the top rope and hit a basement dropkick. He followed up with an exploder for a near fall. O-Khan sidestepped a half-and-half suplex and dropped Umino on his neck with a German suplex, leaving both men down.

Both men crawled to the middle of the ring and exchanged elbows from their knees. Umino was the fresher of the two but it’s fair to say the crowd were more behind O-Khan. Umino accepted O-Khan’s invitation to do his worst, blistering his jaw with elbows while O-Khan stood in his patented pose with his arms behind his back. O-Khan staggered but did not go down. Umino mocked him by standing with his arms behind his back, and now O-Khan laid in some elbows. Umino did not go down until O-Khan resorted to a Mongolian chop. They held each other’s wrist and continued to trade HARD elbows as we passed the ten-minute mark.

O-Khan turned up the speed, turning a strike into an ippon seionage. Umino ducked a lariat and hit a half-and-half suplex, O-Khan hit a knee strike, Umino hit a pop-up knee strike, they traded palm strikes, then Umino connected with an enzuigiri and Ignition. That was a rapid sequence. Umino set up for a Death Rider but O-Khan connected with a straight right to the jaw that absolutely starched Umino. Both men went down. O-Khan fed off the crowd and hit a face-first trip followed by a deadlift gutwrench suplex for a near fall. He clamped on a head-and-arm choke again, lifting his legs for extra leverage. Umino looked to be fading but managed to get a leg on the bottom rope for a break.

O-Khan lifted Umino into a reverse Samoan drop position, with the claw applied to his head, then stretched Umino’s back out before spinning him out and dropping him with a slam. Never seen that before and I have no idea what to call it. A cover got a near fall. O-Khan called for the finish and went for the Eliminator, Umino fought it off but got dropped with a claw suplex. After a sweet series of escapes Umino dropped O-Khan on his skull with a version of the Ram-Paige. Umino called for Blaze Blade…connected! Death Rider! 1…2…3!

WINNER: Shota Umino (4) via pinfall in 15:00. (***½)

(Lansdell’s analysis: O-Khan has been putting in some real work this year in the G1, and this was another example. I was a little concerned about the chemistry these two might have, but it worked out well. I don’t think O-Khan will finish on zero points by any means, but I do think Umino wins out from here to qualify out of A block.)

(9) ZACK SABRE JR. (6) vs. JAKE LEE (2) – A Block match

I have loved everything I’ve seen about Jake Lee’s presentation…until the bell rings. Aside from being tall, he has not shown me anything special in the ring. Hearing the ring announcer call him “Smart Bastardo” will never get old, though.

ZSJ controlled the early going, shifting from hold to hold on the mat. Jake Lee showed a surprising degree of know-how in escaping, resulting in a stalemate. Walker Stewart made an excellent point that Lee remains stoic throughout a match, making him hard to read. Lee blocked a takedown attempt, then decided to sit down and offer a grapple exchange. WIth Zack Sabre Jr. The poor man has lost his mind. They exchanged escapes and ended up in the ropes for a break. ZSJ trapped Lee’s arms in the ropes, then backed away and mocked Lee’s bow. Lee gave him a pat-down for some reason (the dude was literally wearing trunks, what are you patting down?) and then kicked him in the gut. Lee stood on ZSJ’s head and bowed.

ZSJ connected with the Pele kick to the arm, then applied an armbar over the top rope. He went to work on Lee’s arm, wrenching back the wrist and fingers. He went for a suplex, Lee was able to block it and drape ZSJ over the top rope. A stiff knee lift from Lee sent ZSJ to the floor, where he landed loudly. Lee followed him to the outside and whipped him to a barricade chest-first. He hit a couple of knee lifts to the gut, then hit a big running version to leave ZSJ laying on the outside. Lee returned to the ring as the ref started his count. ZSJ got to his feet at 12, so Lee went back outside and retrieved him to roll him inside. Weird choice.

Back in the ring, Lee knelt in the midsection of ZSJ. The ref counted the pin as ZSJ’s shoulders were down, but it was only enough for two. Lee decided to just choke ZSJ, then applied a body scissors. ZSJ tried to use leverage on the ankles to escape but Lee squeezed harder. ZSJ rolled to the ropes for the break. Lee strutted around the ring taunting ZSJ, who tried to come back with some ineffectual forearms. One knee to the gut dropped ZSJ at the ten-minute mark.

Lee went for a suplex, ZSJ grapevine the log to block. Lee powered him up anyway, but ZSJ countered into a guillotine. Lee fought it and was able to lift ZSJ for a suplex, but couldn’t finish the move. ZSJ reversed into a suplex of his own, then stomped on Lee’s arm. He locked up the arm in a leg hammerlock, then twisted it. Lee tried to fight back, hitting a forearm, but ZSJ escaped out the back of a back drop suplex and applied the octopus hold. Lee powered out with a hip toss, ZSJ picked the ankle and hit a PK for a near fall.

Both men squared off mid-ring. They exchanged elbows, staggering each other. ZSJ got the better of the exchange but Lee went to the midsection with a right to even things up. ZSJ went back to the arm, but another running knee lift to the gut crumpled ZSJ to the mat. He hit another pair of knee lifts, faked a PK, then applied a sleeper. ZSJ went to the fingers to break the hold, but again Lee went to the knee lift and locked on a front chancery at the 15-minute mark. ZSJ scrambled backwards into the ropes. Lee laughed maniacally and measured ZSJ for the Facebreak shot, but ZSJ found a burst of energy and absolutely waffled Lee with a running European uppercut in the corner. He hit a flurry of strikes and his own Facebreak shot, but Lee came back with a knee to the jaw and a back drop suplex for a near fall.

Lee attempted a chokeslam, ZSJ kicked his way free but a back elbow from Lee stopped the comeback. Chokeslam…countered into a triangle choke! Lee escaped and went for a sleeper, but ZSJ escaped that and locked up an arm. He transitioned into a Brutaliser and Lee gave up.

WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr (8) via submission in 18:00. (***¼)

(Lansdell’s analysis: Lee looked better here than he has to date, which is not surprising given the opponent. The knee lifts should have got repetitive but he planted them so deep and ZSJ sold them so well that it worked. I am even less surprised that Lee lost again; when I thought he was just visiting I expected him to get the usual “Japanese visiting talent” losing streak. Even though he is apparently signed to the company now, his booking has not changed. I fully expect ZSJ to lose his next match to keep the block interesting. The match was good because of the body part focus, but skippable if you are short on time.)

(10) TETSUYA NAITO (2) vs. EVIL (6) – A Block match

Shockingly, Evil did NOT jump Naito before the bell. He waited until Togo grabbed Naito’s foot and then jumped while the champ was distracted. The advantage was short-lived as Naito reversed a whip, sending Evil to the floor. Naito ran the ropes and hit his Tranquilo pose while Evil raged on the outside. Evil came back in, leading to Naito rolling slowly to the floor. Mind games, you see. Evil continued to rage in the ring while Naito rolled in and out again. Togo distracted Naito on the outside, threatening him with a chair. Evil used the distraction (again) to jump Naito and hurl him into the barricade in front of the timekeeper. Evil grabbed the mic and trashtalked Naito while beating him down.

Evil dragged Naito into the crowd and choked him with a chair. He left Naito in the crowd as the referee counted. Naito stumbled back to the ring, rolling in at 18. At the five-minute mark, Evil whipped Naito into the corner, from which Togo had removed the padding. Evil toyed with Naito, who tried to fire back with right hands. Evil hit a knee lift to stop the momentum, and threw Naito to the floor. Togo set up a chair and slammed Naito’s head into it while Evil presumably distracted the ref. The camera missed that detail, though. Togo rolled Naito back in, Evil covered him, and Red Shoes refused to count. He had to check the other corner pad, you see. Very important.

Again Evil taunted Naito, and again he tried to fight back. Evil raked the eyes to cut off the rally. Naito reversed a neckbreaker and elbowed Evil in the back of the head. He followed up with a reverse DDT over the knee and a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Naito laid in some shots and hit a running elbow and another basement dropkick to the back of the head. He whipped Evil to the corner and hit a draping reverse DDT and a hangman’s neckbreaker for a near fall. Naito applied a hammerlock, Evil pulled his hair to escape it so Naito returned the favour. A reversal in the corner led to Evil sitting Naito on the middle rope and hitting a leaping stomp to the chest.

Evil connected with a fisherman’s suplex for a near fall at the ten-minute mark. He went for Darkness Falls but Naito slid down and grabbed the wrist, hitting his trademark elbow strikes. Togo slid the corner pad into the ring then got on the apron on the other side of the ring to distract Naito. Evil swung at Naito with the pad, Naito ducked, made Evil drop it, then used it himself. He tossed it to Togo, confusing referee Red Shoes long enough for Naito to shove Evil into Togo. A schoolboy got a two-count, then an inverted atomic drop and a jacknife pin got two more. Evil went back to the eye rake and got a two-count, but Naito’s kickout sent Evil into the ref. Kanemaru attacked Bushi (who was on Japanese commentary) on the outside, then joined Evil and Togo in the ring for – you guessed it – House of Torture Shenanigans (™). This of course included the flying crotch chop from Togo. The ref recovered in time to see a cover, but Naito kicked out at two. Kanemaru held the ref in place (which of course is not a DQ…) while Togo and Evil hit Magic Killer. 1…2…no! Everything…is…Naito blocked it! Elbows from Naito! Evil went for the eyes again and pushed the ref away, but Naito turned the tables and hit a pop-up groin punt!

Bushi recovered! He took out Kanemaru and Togo with the discarded corner pad while both combatants were down in the ring. Naito whipped Evil into the exposed corner, hit an enzuigiri, and followed with a tornado DDT for a near fall at the 15-minute call. Destino attempted by Naito, Evil pushed him into the ref! In came Togo with a handful of powder…Naito ducked! He went after Togo, Kanemaru interrupted and sprayed whiskey…in Togo’s face! Bushi misted Kanemaru! Bushi Rocket to Togo on the outside! Naito measured Evil…Destino Corriendo! 1…2…no!! Naito rang up the arm…Dest…no! Everything…Is…Evil! 1…2…3!

WINNER: Evil (8) via pinfall in 16:00. (*¾)

(Lansdell’s analysis: This was hard to watch for 15 minutes. They barely did anything for the first five. Evil has publicly stated that he wants to have the worst match on the card every night, but Naito has just been off the boil for a while. Commentary is trying to sell a story of Naito not being able to land a good Destino, but honestly everything about Naito seems to be “not good” right now. The finishing sequence was good and fit the narrative, but this was just not a fun watch.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: It’s weird when a New Japan show, especially during the G1, ends with its weakest match. All four of the other tournament matches are worth watching. A Block is in a good spot with ZSJ and Evil undefeated and a large pack on four points. I expect Umino to beat ZSJ in the next round, with Evil beating Newman. We have to wait for August 6 to see ZSJ and Evil face off, and I would expect Zack to win that one. So far the only real surprise is that Naito has three losses, meaning he will be a busy man between the end of the G1 and January.

I’ll be back in a couple of days for the next night of A block action. Thanks for joining us!

You can contact Chris at lansdellicious@gmail.com or on Twitter @lansdellicious.