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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 34 NIGHT 15 REPORT
AUGUST 17, 2024
RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN
TOKYO, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Walker Stewart and Chris Charlton were on commentary. This is also the venue for tomorrow’s final.
(1) YOSHI-HASHI & SHOMA KATO vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles)
Yoshi-Hashi’s shock blonde dye job will take some getting used to, but I suppose I’d also be thrown at this point if I saw him with his natural black hair, so whatever. Eagles controlled Kato in the early going until Kato insisted on going at Nicholls, which got a disappointed look from the much larger Nicholls. This came off as a bumping challenge for the Young Lion Kato, as Hashi didn’t tag into the match until after five minutes had passed. There was some decent stuff between Nicholls and Hashi, perhaps setting up another Bishamon-TMDK tag team championship match (Nicholls and Shane Haste are champions). Kato tagged in late and got a fun near-tap from a long Boston Crab, then rolled up Eagles for a 2.999 count or so. Eagles pinned Kato after the Turbo Backpack, one of his usual setup moves. For an opener with a Young Lion, this was pretty good.
WINNERS: Eagles & Nicholls at 9:25. (**1/4)
(2) HIROOKI GOTO & TOMOAKI HONMA vs. BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee)
Charlton couldn’t help but bring up Hirooki Goto’s fantastic work and crowd support in this year’s G-1. Kidd sold a hangover on the way to the ring. Lee caught up with him holding two glasses, the suggestion being they were still drinking. They shotgunned whatever was in the cups and headed to the ring. A minute in, Kidd dispensed with the suggestion and just said “I’m so drunk right now” into the camera. The match picked up when Goto thankfully tagged in at around the four minute mark. He worked less than two minutes of the match before Honma tagged in again. Honma hit the Kokeshi on Lee for a minor hope spot late, but Lee shortly after hit the Face Break Shot in the corner to finish.
WINNERS: Lee & Kidd at 7:41. (*1/2)
(3) SHOTA UMINO & EL PHANTASMO & JADO vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & JEFF COBB & CALLUM NEWMAN
The United Empire teaming with a non-member (Takeshita) is extremely rare. Entrances took a good six minutes. Charlton said the quiet part out loud as he said if you’re Tony Khan watching the G-1 and still not giving Takeshita the platform he deserves, you should rethink your strategy. All five of the men who were in the G-1 played their greatest hits, with Umino in particular getting some level of star treatment. Jado and ELP had some miscommunication late, so apparently ELP’s not done losing friends. Takeshita finished Jado with the World Class Shot. Umino tried to hold ELP and Jado together after the match. Charlton suggested that Umino and Phantasmo were a great team, so they’re a possibility for the World Tag League in a few months.
WINNERS: Takeshita & Cobb & Newman at 8:34. (**)
(4) Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg & Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. THE HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi & SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) (w/Dick Togo)
HOT jumped all the babyfaces before the bell. There was a predictable amount of outside shenanigans and the story was told that Evil is laser-focused on Tanahashi. The early minutes were a tiring heat sequence on Tiger Mask. Oleg tagged in and got star treatment as he dominated opponents legal and illegal alike. Evil pinned Yano after Everything is Evil.
WINNERS: House of Torture at 9:36. (*1/4)
After the match, HOT tried to continue the beatdown but they were run off by Umino and Phantasmo.
(5) JUST 5 GUYS (DOUKI & Taichi & TAKA Michinoku) vs. BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (Taiji Ishimori & Clark Connors & Drilla Moloney)
Michinoku is the only one who worked most of the G-1 tour, so the others are all welcome faces this last couple of nights. Douki and Ishimori were listed above their heavyweight partners, which sounds like nothing, but it’s very rare even with one (Douki) being Junior Heavyweight Champion. Bullet Club took a lot of it outside and Ishimori choked out Douki with a t-shirt, ao I guess some of these faces were less welcome than others. Can they occasionally take a match off from the shenanigans? I suppose not. Michinoku got some hope spots late before tapping out to Ishimori’s Bone Lock.
WINNERS: Ishimori & Connors & Moloney at 8:02. (*3/4)
(6) LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI) vs. The United Empire (HENARE & Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira)
Charlton acknowledged Naito having a pretty rough G-1 for a sitting champion, which really can’t be ignored as we head into the months leading to Wrestle Kingdom. Great-O-Khan dominated the early minutes as commentary talked about what’s next after he went to the next level in the G-1. Hiromu wanted a piece of Henare, as the story was that Hiromu wants to bring the NEVER Openweight Championship to the waist of a Junior Heavyweight. Fun, frenetic action down the stretch. Bushi tapped to a full nelson from Henare. Great-O-Khan seemed to tease a match between himself and Naito for a championship afterward, given Khan beat Naito at the end of block A action.
WINNERS: Henare & Khan & Akira at 9:06. (**1/4)
(7) YOTA TSUJI vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo) – B Block final
Takeshita joined the Japanese announce team, and Charlton called it out as interesting that he wanted to sit ringside for this one. They slowly walked to one another, then threw furious fists early. Tsuji took Finlay to a corner for some shots and Finlay reversed. Tsuji blocked Finlay to the mat from a corner. Finlay got in a right but ran into a knee to the midsection for a one count. Tsuji snapped on a body scissors as Finlay was kicking out. Nice transition. Finlay rolled to a rope to break.
Tsuji threw another shot to the midsection to ground Finlay. Tsuji chopped Finlay in the corner, then blocked him a few times. Tsuji tried to whip Finlay, but Finlay hooked a rope and caught a charging Tsuji and hung him up on the turnbuckle. Finlay covered for two, then bladed Tsuji with his elbow. Finlay whipped Tsuji into a corner and covered for two.
Finlay worked a chin lock. Tsuji slowly fought his way to the rope as we were in the padding phase of what’s likely to be a long match. Tsuji got in some rights but Finlay had more on his. Finlay ran the ropes into a quebrada con giro by Tsuji. Finlay bailed, and Tsuji tried a tope suicida but Finlay caught him with a right. Finlay charged Tsuji into a barricade, and then another and a third. Finlay went for some tables from under the ring and he tossed Tsuji to another barricade to give himself time to set them up. Finlay set up two tables perpendicular to the ring, then tried to powerbomb Tsuji through them. Tsuji fought it off and Finlay shoved him into the barricade yet again.
Finlay went up in a corner and posed, primarily to boos. He threw Tsuji back into the ring and tried to follow, but Tsuji superkicked him to the floor, then hit a tope suicida that sent Finlay out and over into the VIP section, per the announcers. The ref finally got around to counting and the two went back to the ring.
Tsuji managed a headscissor takedown and then hit a lungblower for two. Tsuji took a moment with Finlay grounded, trying to determine his next move. Finlay rolled up Tsuji for two and Charlton said he got more nervous every time Finlay took notice of the tables outside the ring. Tsuji set up Finlay in a corner and Finlay shoved Tsuji toward the tables, but Tsuji landed on the apron. Tsuji stomped Finlay on the apron, then booted him in the mouth a couple of times. He tried the curb stomp, but missed, and cleared the table. Finlay backdropped Tsuji into the post. The tables still sat undisturbed.
Finlay rolled Tsuji into the ring and hit the Northern Irish Curse for two. Finlay caught a charging Tsuji and hit another backbreaker for two. Finlay tried the Dominator but Tsuji rolled through, ran the ropes and hit a knee strike for a long two. Tsuji set up Finlay on a turnbuckle and went up with him, then hit Spanish Fly from the top for two. Tsuji hit a Falcon Arrow for two. Stomp by Tsuji. Tsuji went for the Marlowe Stomp, but Finlay saw it coming, and he sidestepped it and hit the Dominator. Both guys crumbled to the mat and sold.
Finlay went for a powerbomb but Tsuji rolled him up for two. Finlay tried to powerbomb Tsuji over and out to the tables, but Tsuji hooked a rope and both guys ended up on the apron. Tsuji backdropped Finlay on the apron. The two jockeyed for position near the tables and Tsuji charged Finlay into the ringpost, then superkicked him. After some reversals, Finlay finally powerbombed Tsuji through a table. The far table didn’t break and instead lamely fell to its side, which kind of made for a disappointing visual after so much setup, but these are relatively hardy tables that draw blood on a regular basis.
Referee Marty Asami started his count. Finlay got in relatively quickly. Tsuji played almost completely dead until 18 and then reentered at 19. Finlay immediately hit Oblivion and got a long two. Finlay went for ground and pound with closed fists, and shoved Asami away when he tried to break it up. The crowd booed Finlay. Tsuji sold like a champ as he fought to his feet, and then missed a hard lariat and crumbled again. Finlay hit a powerbomb for two. Finlay then hoisted Tsuji for a buckle bomb and another powerbomb for a very long two, this one likely the most believable false finish.
Another buckle bomb by Finlay. A third. He went for another powerbomb but Tsuji rolled through and trapped Finlay for two. Tsuji hit Gene Blaster but was slow to cover, and he got an extremely long two. Tsuji fought to his feet and hit a curb stomp. Tsuji set up Finlay and hit the Marlowe Crash for another long two. Finlay is really bad about staring at the ref during the count, so these near-falls aren’t as believable as they could be. Tsuji charged Finlay but Finlay trapped him for two. Tsuji fought off Oblivion, then hit the Deadbolt and Gene Blaster to finish.
WINNER: Yota Tsuji at 28:06. (****1/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: These two had a great match together that was marred perhaps only by the fact that I wasn’t able to find much of any people thinking Finlay had a chance here. The super-push of Tsuji continues in the hopes that he’ll be star to carry the company for the foreseeable future. This much of a relentless push could turn off some fans, I suppose, but Tsuji is so good in the ring that I really can’t see a good reason not to go with it. Hiroshi Tanahashi promoted a “youth movement” in this year’s cup, which may have been a spoiler, as Tsuji is really the only young guy who made the playoffs)
(8) ZACK SABRE, JR. (w/Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles & Kosei Fujita) vs. SHINGO TAKAGI – A Block final
We’re down to three men who can win the tournament, and I think they all genuinely have a shot at doing so (there’s a hierarchy, but the fact that I can see any of them winning is a refreshing feeling). Mikey Nicholls, Robbie Eagles and Kosei Fujita accompanied Sabre to the ring.
They got going slowly with some mat work and early reversals. Sabre snapped on a cravat and fought a couple of reversals until Takagi broke with some fists. Quick reversals again and both guys missed some impact spots before a reset. They stuck to mat stuff while Takagi tried to overpower Sabre and Sabre tried to out-technique Takagi. Sabre hit a backdrop and a stomp as we finally saw some strikes lay in. Sabre worked the digits on Takagi’s right hand and did the ugly elbow stomp.
Sabre worked the right arm with wrenches and stomps. Takagi caught Sabre with a very Sabre-looking head twist. Takagi hit a snap suplex and Sabre bailed to the outside. Takagi followed and charged Sabre to a barricade. Takagi beat Sabre around the outside, charging his head to the apron on one side and another. ZSJ got in a few rights but Takagi hung him up on the apron to maintain momentum.
The two hit the ring again and rolled around for some more mat reversals. Takagi hit a corner lariat and held momentum though he was still selling the work on his right arm. Takagi slammed ZSJ and hit a couple of elbow drops and a knee to the upper back. The two exchanged more reversals and ZSJ finally managed the head screw and then a double stomp. Both guys sold the work so far.
Zack got in some rights and ran the ropes for a deep European uppercut. He hit another in a corner and then bridged into a pin for two. After a few blocks, Takagi hit a DDT to gain the upper hand. Suplex by Takagi got two. Takagi hit a back suplex and begged for some fight from Zack. Rope run and a hard knee to the midsection by Takagi. Takagi tried it again but Zack caught him and drove his knee to the mat.
Zack took a moment before deciding his next move, then wrapped up Takagi and stomped – well, everything. The fifteen minute call went out in a match that seemed like it was nowhere near the finish line. Sabre begged Takagi to get into it and he snapped the bad leg and worked a submission but Takagi immediately rolled to a rope to break. Zack threw some kicks to the bad leg but Takagi got in some shots, including a lariat that left both guys laying.
Takagi put Sabre up in a corner and hit a superplex. He hit a magic screw, assisted by the top rope, but then sold on the mat again. The two went to some quick reversals and it ended with Takagi working a sleeper. Slowly, Zack rolled to a rope to break. Takagi hit Made in Japan, but couldn’t capitalize as he was still selling. He went for Last of the Dragons but Zack fought it off. He tried again but Zack flipped through and ran the ropes. Pumping Bomber, and he got two. Frequent rollups got two for both guys. Zack hit a Zack Driver, but couldn’t cover.
Zack hit his feet and kicked Shingo a few times, then trapped him for a long two after a penalty kick. More reversals and quick counts. Zack worked a leg submission and Takagi sold it like death until he could roll over and reach a rope to break. Both guys went to their feet and Zack got in a rapid series of shots to ground Takagi. Zack fought off a Gory Bomb with a headlock and the two reversed until Takagi hit a Pumping Bomber but his knee gave out and the two sold on the mat.
Takagi set up Made in Japan but Zack trapped him in a triangle. Takagi was able to reverse into Last of the Dragon and he hit it for 1…2…WHAT this isn’t the finish?! The announcers acknowledged that kicking out of the move really isn’t something that’s done. The two exchanged rights and then bigger spots until Zack hit the Zack Driver for a long two. He transitioned immediately to an ankle lock. Takagi fought it off as long as he could, but eventually tapped.
WINNER: Zack Sabre, Jr. at 27:39. (****1/4)
(Wells’s Analysis: Hard to argue with either of these matches as match of the night. You could pick either one to slip into a higher gear, but I imagine tomorrow’s match has a shot at outdoing what we’ve done tonight. Zack is someone that’s been considered the best New Japan wrestler not to win the G-1, but it’s extremely rare for a foreigner to win the tournament, no matter how entrenched in the company he’s been f0r years.)
-Zack simply said “see you tomorrow” to the fans in lieu of using real mic time.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Yota Tsuji and Zack Sabre Jr. have been popular picks to win this tournament all year, and here we are. The announcers have been telling the story that ZSJ will consider this tournament a loss if he doesn’t win, so here he is in the final, and they’ve also been talking about how nobody has won the NJ Cup and the G-1 Climax in the same calendar year in ages, and with Tsuji, here we are. Zack got the main event here so I imagine Tsuji is indeed going to make history this year, but in a rare case, I can genuinely see either one winning tomorrow. Sean Radican will cover the final. Cheers.
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