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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 34 NIGHT 15 REPORT
AUGUST 12, 2024
AROE NAGAOKA
NIIGATA, JAPAN
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
Walker Stewart started the show off solo at the commentary table.
(1) HIROOKI GOTO & HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. BUSHI & YOTA TSUJI
Two of the three preview tags on this show were interesting, including this one and the unusual pairing of Goto and Tanahashi. They even attempted a Shoto on Bushi, albeit without success. Goto pinned Bushi after a GTR.
WINNERS: Goto and Tanahashi via pinfall in 7:00. (**)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: This was not really a preview tag as Tsuji and Goto already squared off. More interesting here was Tanahashi working well with Goto, at a time when there is a big hole at the top of Chaos. I cannot imagine Tanahashi deserting Hontai, especially after talking about the need to strengthen it, but something needs to happen with that faction.)
(2) EL PHANTASMO & JADO vs. DAVID FINLAY & GEDO
Jado and Gedo going toe-to-toe? Is it 1997? The long-time partners started the match off and rolled back the years all the way to 2023. It was far from entertaining, even with the nostalgia factor. ELP and Finlay naturally picked up the pace, despite the bandage on Finaly’s shoulder and the Band-Aid (that looked more like a birth control patch) on ELP’s back. ELP picked up the win following a Sudden Death superkick to Gedo.
WINNERS: United Empire and Takeshita via submission in 7:00. (*1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: I am actually looking forward to the singles match, but this was not fun or enjoyable in any way.)
(3) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & JEFF COBB & HENARE & FRANCESCO AKIRA vs. REN NARITA & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU & SHO & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI
Narita and Takeshita square off on the last night of B block action in a must-win match for Narita. The best part of the match was Cobb holding Narita up for a delayed vertical suplex, Sho kicking him and then spearing him to no effect, and Cobb dropping Narita on top of Sho. The second-best part was finding out that Henare would be on commentary later in the evening.
Kanemaru pinned Akira after some HoT Shenanigans and whiskey in the face.
WINNERS: House of Torture via pinfall in 9:00. (*3/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: There were some fun spots but it devolved into ref distractions and typical nonsense.)
- After the match, House of Torture jumped Takeshita and hit his leg several times with a chair.
(4) CALLUM NEWMAN (4 points) vs. GABE KIDD (6 points) – A Block match
Newman looked to have aged five years in the last month. He had enough vim and vigour to dive to the outside onto Kidd during the latter’s entrance, then to go to the top and hit a crossbody to the floor. The bell rang with both men inside, and immediately Newman hit a corner dropkick and a double stomp. He went for the Os-Cutter, Kidd blocked it but after a series of counters Newman was able to hit a superkick. A few more counters followed, ending with Kidd dropping Newman on his head with a Saito suplex.
Kidd hit a pair of chops and a lariat for a two-count. He attempted a piledriver but Newman reversed into a jackknife pin for a near fall. He followed up with a springboard dropkick off the middle rope for a two-count. Newman took Kidd over with a snap mare, hit a PK, then a standing moonsault for a two-count. Newman laid in a series of kicks to Kidd’s chest, Kidd shook them off and headbutted Newman, but Newman fired back with a stiff right hand. They ran the ropes, each man ducking an attack, Newman’s Os-Cutter was again blocked but escaped out the back of a suplex. Kidd connected with a forearm but Newman hit a handspring off the ropes over Kidd’s back and into a German suplex for a two-count. It wasn’t perfectly smooth but it looked great.
Still on the offensive, Newman hit a trio of kicks to drop Kidd to his knees. He set for the Os-Cutter again but Kidd countered with a double axehandle to the back. A pair of piledrivers later and Kidd picked up a fairly routine win.
WINNERS: Gabe Kidd (8 points) via pinfall in 7:00. (***1/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: It was scarcely more than a protracted squash, but I thought this match worked very well. Their styles meshed well, the counter-wrestling was smooth, and we got to see a bit more of what Newman can offer as he progresses up the card. With the youth of both men I can see this match being revisited many times, and on the strength of this one I would not complain even a little. Both men were eliminated from contention but still showed up and showed out.)
- After the match, Kidd got a chair from outside and dropped Newman on it with a piledriver. He’s a madman, you know.
- Henare joined Walker Stewart on commentary, but for some reason did not realise his stablemate was being piledriven on a chair.
(5) SANADA (8 points) vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (12 points) – A Block match
ZSJ had already locked in a playoff place coming in. Sanada needed a win to have a shot at the playoffs. Walker told us that ZSJ had never lost a singles match in this arena.
Sanada was able to wrestle ZSJ to a stalemate in the opening counter exchange. They worked through a series of rollup pins for one-counts, with Sanada getting a near fall on the last one. They changed tactics and started exchanging European uppercuts at the five-minute mark. It was an extended exchange with Sanada winning it and dropping ZSJ to the mat.
ZSJ countered a hip toss into an abdominal stretch. Sanada tried to reverse it, ZSJ reversed again, then Sanada escaped with the originally-planned hip toss. A Sanada dropkick sent ZSJ to the floor, and Sanada followed with a slingshot plancha. Back inside the ring he tried a TKO but ZSJ countered and twisted Sanada’s neck with his feet., then hit a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Sanada blocked a tiger suplex attempt with an armdrag, ZSJ came back with a pump kick and a Pele kick to the arm, but Sanada had a dropkick to the knee to halt the momentum. He followed up with a magic screw to leave both men down.
Sanada nipped up and went for a Shining Wizard, ZSJ ducked it and went for a PK, Sanada caught the leg and took ZSJ down with a dragon screw. Sanada went to the top rope for a moonsault…ZSJ got the knees up and countered into an armbar! Sanada tried to roll into the pressure so ZSJ changed the angle and applied a Rings of Saturn variation at the ten-minute mark. ZSJ twisted one arm into a hammer lock, rolled through, and cranked the other arm backwards. Sanada tried to escape, ZSJ then locked up the head as well. He kept moving and changing the angle of the stretch in holds I could not begin to name, until Sanada was finally able to make it to the ropes.
ZSJ took a minute to catch his breath, then just slapped the back of Sanada’s head a few times. He waited for Sanada to stir, then laid in some kicks and forearms. He seemed to hurt his arm on one strike, which led to Sanada gritting his teeth and firing back. Enzuigiri by ZSJ! And one by Sanada! Sanada tried an O’Connor roll,, ZSJ countered to a sleeper, and Sanada rolled through into a European clutch for a near fall. ZSJ caught a Shining Wizard attempt and went for his own European clutch, Sanada blocked and went for Skull End, ZSJ escaped in a hurry but got caught in another European clutch! 1…2…no! Sanada recovered from the exchange first and dropkicked ZSJ’s leg out of his leg.
Sanada connected with a Shining Wizard at the 15-minute mark. ZSJ escaped a Deadfall, Sanada went for the moonsault Skull End, ZSJ tried for his own, they countered each other again, and Sanada countered a Zack Driver into Skull End! Sanada released the hold and went for Deadfall, ZSJ escaped and hit a big European uppercut…Zack Driver! 1…2…3! Out of nowhere!
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr (14 points) via pinfall in 16:00. (***3/4)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: A very good match, though it did feel a little repetitive at times. I greatly enjoyed Sanada being able to hang with ZSJ technically for a large portion of the match, only for ZSJ to win with an impact move. Sanada has rediscovered some of his prior panache in this G1, and hopefully he is able to sustain it after his world title run almost ruined him as a character. With this win ZSJ secured first place in the block and a place in the semifinals. Sadly, I think that makes him unlikely to win the whole thing.)
(6) SHINGO TAKAGI (8) vs. JAKE LEE (8) – A Block match
Jake Lee has grown on me throughout this tournament. He’s not a ring genius but he has a believable and impactful style that he’s worked hard to adapt to the New Japan match style. His character work is phenomenal. Even with a win, Jake Lee’s tiebreakers would not allow him to advance. Shingo would go through with a win and a loss by either Evil or Naito.
Lee looked like he would rather be anywhere else as the bell rang. He somehow convinced Shingo to bow, then absolutely waffled him with a knee to the jaw. That got an audible laugh out of me. Shingo ran into Lee a couple of times, chopped him hard, then knocked him flat with a shoulder tackle. He followed up with a snap mare, a pair of elbow drops, and a senton. He hit a series of knees to the gut, Lee blocked a suplex attempt and draped Shingo over the top rope before hitting a knee lift to the chest that sent Shingo to the floor.
Lee followed Shingo to the outside and whipped him into a barricade. He rolled Shingo onto the apron and alternated elbows and knees to the chest of Shingo, then hit a running knee lift. Lee rolled inside as the referee started his count. Shingo took his time to recover on the outside, prompting Lee to go fetch him. In the ring he locked in a cravate, then took Shingo over with a snap mare. Lee remonstrated with the pro-Shingo crowd at the five-minute mark then hit a series of running knees in the ropes while holding Shingo’s wrist.
Lee clamped on a sleeper, but Shingo found the rope for a break. Lee toyed with Shingo, tapping him lightly with kicks meant to taunt more than damage. Shingo tried to fire up but a single knee to the chest crumpled Shingo. Lee tried for a back suplex, Shingo blocked it and connected with a dragon screw. Both men were down, with Shingo first to the attack. He unleashed a flurry of strikes in the corner, but Lee blocked a suplex, then blocked an Irish whip and connected with another knee lift. He tried a suplex of his own, Shingo blocked it then reversed into a brainbuster for a two-count. Could it be…nope, not Takagi Time as Lee grabbed him from behind with a sleeper. Shingo flipped Lee over to escape and hit a sliding lariat. He called to the crowd, and they responded. Made in Japan…Lee blocked it, and that led to a strike exchange at the ten-minute mark.
Shingo hit alternating left and right elbows to win the exchange, then hit an awkward lariat to the back of the head that looked to genuinely rattle Lee. He followed with a back elbow, but Lee blocked a Yukon lariat and hit a knee lift. Shingo came back with a lariat, and again both men were down. Shingo mocked Lee’s set-up for the Facebreak Shot, but ran into a dropkick. Lee followed up with a PK and a back suplex for a near fall. He went for the Facebreak Shot but Shingo ducked under it and hit a Death Valley driver. That was a gorgeous counter. He hit a corner lariat, then took Lee to the top…and back down again with a superplex. He hit a big lariat, then a second, but Lee would not go down. They traded right hands, Shingo hit a headbutt, Lee hit a headkick, Facebreak Shot…Lariat takedown by Shingo! 1…2…3!!!
WINNER: Shingo Takagi (10) via pinfall in 14:00. (***1/2)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: I am not sure about that finish, it did not come off well and might not have been planned that way. It looked like he beat him with a headlock, basically. A shame, because the match was building beautifully. Lee’s methodical and somewhat simple style seems to work, maybe because his character is so well-refined. Shingo now needs a favour from Shota Umino or O-Khan to make it to the playoffs.)
(7) SHOTA UMINO (6) vs. EVIL (10) – A Block match
Evil marched to the ring with a sheet of paper and forced the ring announcer to read it. It was a statement, purportedly from Shota Umino, saying he was sure he would lose to his honoured teacher Evil that night and so he had decided not to show up. Evil walked back up the ramp celebrating as Umino’s music hit. Evil looked around to see where Umino was coming from tonight…surprise! He came out of the normal entrance and blindsided both Evil and Dick Togo.
Umino whipped Evil into a pair of barricades, then rolled him into the ring. Evil rolled back outside as the bell rang, but Umino chased him down and rolled him back inside. He beat down Evil in the corner, then whipped him to the opposite corner. He charged into Evil’s boot, while Togo untied the corner pad. Umino charged again and Evil moved, sending Umino into the exposed buckles. Umino went to the floor, Evil followed and brawled into the crowd. He choked Umino with a chair, then went back to the ring. The referee was too busy checking on Umino to start counting right away, but eventually returned to the ring to do so.
Umino made it back into the ring at 13, but Evil had the ref distracted and Togo pulled Umino back to the floor. The ref refused to count, so Evil went to choke him with a t-shirt. The referee stopped him and snatched the shirt away, allowing Evil to choke Umino with the detached tag rope instead. A cover only got a count of one. Evil threw him back to the outside, where Togo waffled him with the corner pad. A trio of covers got a trio of two-counts at the five-minute mark.
Evil laid in a series of chops, with Umino calling for another one each time. Instead of a fourth chop, Evil gouged the eyes but then ran into a dropkick. Umino hit a pair of running back elbows then a running forearm. A fisherman’s suplex was good for a two-count. Evil blocked an attempted exploder suplex, Umino ducked an Evil clothesline and hit a sliding dropkick to Togo on the outside. He caught a charging Evil with a drop toehold then hit his slingshot DDT on the apron to send both men to the floor again.
Back inside, Umino hit a missile basement dropkick and an exploder suplex for a two-count. A pair of European uppercuts followed, but after a series of blocks Evil pulled the referee into the path of an Umino dropkick. It was time for House of Torture Shenanigans (™)! Togo immediately hit the ring and choked Umino, and was soon joined by Kanemaru. They hit a Magic Killer on Umino, Evil covered him and Kanemaru counted a quick three. Togo rang the bell and House of Torture celebrated.
At the ten-minute mark, a second referee came down to restore order. Evil went for Darkness Falls, Umino escaped it and hit a tornado DDT. He knocked Togo off the apron, then did the same to Kanemaru, and then sidestepped a charging Evil who ran into the exposed corner. Umino took Evil down and locked in an STF. Sho came down the ramp and distracted the ref by hitting the corner post with a wrench. Evil tapped out as the ref was distracted, causing Umino to release the hold. Yujiro attacked Umino from behind and threw him into the referee. The HoT Shenanigans continued, including the trademark middle-rope literal crotch chop from Togo.
A third referee emerged as Evil made the cover. 1…2…no! As Sho complained to the new ref, Yujiro dropped Umino with Pimp Juice. Another cover got another near fall, and off-camera someone yanked the third ref to the outside. Kanemaru kicked away at Umino while Sho and Togo held him in place. Tanahashi ran down the ramp! Fifteen minutes later, he made it to the ring! Togo tried to powder him in the face but got Sho instead! Kanemaru sprayed whiskey…into the face of Togo! Yujiro missed a pimp cane shot and ate a right hand. Slingblade to Kanemaru! As Tanahashi signaled to the back. Evil dropped him with a low blow at the 15-minute mark.
Evil slowly pulled Umino to his feet. Umino ducked under a clothesline and hit a cutter, leaving both men down. Red Shoes came to ringside! He reluctantly got into the ring as the commentators reminded us that he was Umino’s dad. Umino hit a running knee to the back of Evil, and followed up with Trident for a two-count. Ignition…connected! He went for Death Rider, but Evil pushed him into the exposed corner. Umino charged…into a lariat. Evil hit the ropes and connected with a second lariat for a believable near fall. Evil called for the end, but Shota pushed away and hit an enzuigiri. He measured Evil for Blaze Blade…connected! Evil blocked a Death Rider, pushed the ref away and hit a mule kick low blow into a Death Rider for a very near fall. Everything…is…no! Reversal! Everything…is…Umino! Pumphandle Flowsion! Death Rider! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Shota Umino (8) via pinfall in 20:00. (**1/2.)
(Lansdell’s Analysis: If you take all the overbooked nonsense, painfully slow Tanahashi superhero save, and referee bumps…this was a very good match. But we can’t take that away, so it’s average at best. Umino was already eliminated from contention, but with this loss Evil is also eliminated. That leaves the main event as a pure win-and-in, with the winner facing Shingo Takagi for the right to face ZSJ in the semifinal.)
(8) GREAT-O-KHAN (8) vs. TETSUYA NAITO (10) – A Block match
I cannot recall, off the top of my head, a bigger match in the career of O-Khan. Naito on the other hand had already lost three matches in the G1, likely meaning three title defences before WrestleKingdom, and another loss here would mean a very busy four months. Not to mention elimination from the tournament.
The crowd was split down the middle with chants for both men as we got underway. Naito went for a quick schoolboy for a two-count, then hit an inverted atomic drop. He rammed O-Khan’s head into a corner and went for Esperanza, but O-Khan fought it off and hit a pair of screaming Mongolian chops. He faked a third and instead hit a straight right, then sat on Naito’s head in the corner. The crowd was strongly behind him as he dismounted with a shot to the back. Naito rolled to the floor, O-Khan followed him but was immediately whipped into a pair of barricades.
Back in the ring, Naito knelt on the stomach of O-Khan. He locked on a cravate, then planted some elbows to the back of the head. O-Khan countered an Irish whip with a single-leg takedown into a kneebar, which sent Naito scrambling to the ropes. O-Khan wrapped up Naito’s legs and drove his knee into the hamstring area, then covered for a two-count at the five-minute mark. He continued to attack the legs as the crowd chanted his name. Naito tried to fire back but O-Khan went to the leg, throwing Naito with a judo shoulder throw but by the leg instead of the arm.
O-Khan applied a unique surfboard variation, but Naito again got to the ropes. He attempted a kneebreaker but Naito countered with an armdrag, a back elbow, and a dropkick to the knee to leave both men down. Naito hit an arm drag and a stiff back elbow, then a basement dropkick. He whipped O-Khan to the corner and followed with a running back elbow, then a reverse DDT neckbreaker over the knee. A delayed hangman’s neckbreaker got a two-count.
At the ten-minute mark, O-Khan ducked Naito’s wrist clutch elbow and threw him with a fireman’s carry. A monkey flip and a pair of hip wheel throws got a two-count for O-Khan, who then transitioned into a kneebar. Naito scrambled to the ropes. Naito rolled through another leglock attempt and found an opening for a tornado DDT. The crowd got behind Naito as he crawled over to O-Khan. He connected with a few wrist-clutch elbows, then spiked O-Khan with Esperanza. Naito went for a running Destino… O-Khan sidestepped and dropped Naito on his fool head with a German suplex! Naito fired up but went right back down as O-Khan picked the leg for another kneebar.
O-Khan grapevine both legs and tied Naito up. As O-Khan tried to switch positions, Naito got his hand on the rope for a break at the 15-minute call. O-Khan waited for Naito to get up and kicked out his leg, He went for a kneebreaker again but Naito fought free with clubbing forearms. He hit a series of wrist-clutch elbows, but again his Destino Corriendo was blocked. O-Khan dropped him with a Saito suplex, but was slow to recover. The crowd again chanted for O-Khan, who obliged them with a pump kick to the face. O-Khan went for Eliminator…countered to a victory roll! 1…2…no! A second Eliminator was blocked…Enzuigiri by Naito! Destino Corriendo! 1…2…no! Destino attempt…blocked! Downward Spiral! Eliminator! 1…2…3!
WINNER: Great-O-Khan (10) via pinfall in 19:00. (***1/2)
(Lansdell’s analysis: This was probably Naito’s best match of the tournament, but O-Khan continued his very strong showing here. Much like Sanada, this has been a real resurgence for O-Khan. At one point a couple of years ago he was riding high on a wave of popularity, but it all faded as he got no real opportunities. Even when he was losing his first four matches in this G1, he was putting on an impressive show. I do not expect him to win the tournament, but he has proven that he can still be a factor when considering who should be top of the card. Naito on the other hand has not had a good tournament, either by design or due to some other factor. He’s had plenty of main events and very few that were worthy of the spot. I want to believe it was part of the booking plan but having seen his win over Moxley I wonder if he isn’t just beaten up.)
Final thoughts: From an in-ring perspective this was probably one of the best nights of the tournament so far. All five tournament matches were good to excellent, with basically everyone stepping up at the end of a very long tour. Booking-wise I remain flummoxed by these results. ZSJ going through was on everyone’s predictions, no issues there. The lack of Umino is perplexing to say the least, and with Kidd also not in the mix the vaunted youth movement is once again not evident. All three qualifiers from A block are guys who were at or near the top of the card only to be pushed back down, so maybe the plan here was to heat them all up? Along with the three qualifiers, Sanada also revived his ability to capture the crowd throughout this G1. Really only Naito finished the tournament in a worse place from when he came in, so you would objectively have to call it a success. You might say Umino regressed too, but I am starting to think that much of the belief around his spot on the card comes from the fans and not the company. Still, this unwillingness to let him shine is bewildering.
You can contact me at lansdellicious@gmail.com or on Twitter @lansdellicious. Kelly Wells will be here on Wednesday for the final night of B block action, and I’ll be back on Thursday for the A block semis. Thanks for joining us!
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