Jon Moxley’s got his undefeated run in New Japan on the line as he took on Tetsuya Naito to close out the latest weekender in the G1!
What happens when you’ve not been able to sleep in hot weather and you finally do? You sleep through an early morning alarm, that’s what! So we’re watching this a few hours after it happened at Aichi’s Prefectural Gymnasium. Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero are back on commentary for this one…
Yuya Uemura vs. Ren Narita
It feels like ages since I’ve seen a one-on-one Young Lion battle.
Narita’s won all eight singles matches over Uemura, so Uemura’s on the offensive from the off with a headlock, taking Narita to the mat as we had a bit of a scramble. Narita gets caught in the ropes with a slap, and that lights a fire as Ren finally mounted some offence.
A quick slam from Uemura stops that, before a cravat ended in the ropes, with Narita deciding to grab a leg so he could work a toe hold. That worked up to a single leg crab from Narita, but Uemura crawled to the ropes to make a save… only to get booted into the corner. Uemura hits a running dropkick in the corner to catch Narita off guard, but it seemed to be more out of desperation… as was the inside cradle to counter Narita’s belly to belly… but it doesn’t work as Narita kicked out, then hit it at the second try for the win. Perfectly fine graps, even if the usual oomph these matches have was lacking. ***
Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Kota Ibushi, Tomoaki Honma & Toa Henare
Oh goodie. We’ve got this again.
Chase and Henare start us off, but Henare just decks him with a forearm after he’d been chopped in the corner. He outsmarts some double-teaming before he’s dropped by Fale’s shoulder tackle, as the big man came in to make a beeline for Ibushi, before he wandered over to moan at the commentary crew. Henare finally got back with a Samoan drop to Yujiro, but Chase Owens nonchalantly stepped in to ground him with a front facelock. Pace, do you know it? A reversed suplex gives Henare an opening to tag out, as Ibushi came in and instantly dropkicked Fale off the apron.
Chase takes advantage with some kicks as he caught Ibushi off the top rope with a snapmare, allowing Yujiro to return… except he took too long and Honma got the tag. Yes, he misses Kokeshi, before a double Kokeshi with Henare landed. Then Honma went to do something stupid – a top rope Kokeshi… but Owens grabbed hold of him and allowed Yujiro to press slam him to the mat. One missed Kokeshi led to a Fisherman buster, followed with a diving knee from Owens, before the Pimp Juice DDT puts Honma away. A little better than yesterday, but these Bullet Club undercard tags are death. **
Suzuki-gun (Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) vs. Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, YOSHI-HASHI & Shota Umino
Zack Sabre Jr’s post-match comments have been quite the thing, as he’s been lashing out at Boris Johnson. We’re all in the same boat, sadly…
For a change there’s no jump start as it’s Ospreay vs. Sabre to start us with to tease their match on Tuesday, and they keep it grounded at first before Ospreaay tried to turn up the pace… but Sabre matched him move for move ahead of a cross armbreaker attempt that ended in a nice stand-off. Tags bring in Suzuki and YOSHI-HASHI to chop each other silly, but YOSHI-HASHI’s dropkick in the ropes misses, allowing Suzuki to trap him in the ropes with a heel hook. Silly bugger. That led to everyone brawling outside as YOSHI-HASHI nearly laid out the English commentary table – not on purpose – as Suzuki threw him into a crowd, before throwing furniture on top of him. Meanwhile in the aisle, Archer mocks Okada’s Rainmaker pose, while a PK from Suzuki almost puts away YOSHI-HASHI.
An elbow rocks YOSHI-HASHI, as Sabre tagged back in to avoid a rear spin kick… only for his follow-up guillotine to get countered with a suplex. Tags bring in Okada, who finally decked Archer with a DDT, before he flapjacked Kanemaru… a second elbow from Okada’s caught and turned into a full nelson slam from Archer, who looked to go for Blackout… but we’ve a slew of counters before Shota Umino came in and almost put away Kanemaru with a spinebuster. The ring clears, but it left Shota open as Suzuki ran in to choke him on the top rope with a guillotine. Kanemaru’s still legal as his scooping reverse DDT got a near-fall, before Umino’s roll out of a back suplex almost led to the upset… but in the end, a Kanemaru dropkick then Deep Impact got the win. Perfectly fine stuff, and I enjoyed Umino being given the proverbial office to do what he wanted towards the end. Even if it backfired. Everyone’s scared of Moxley, clearly. ***
Los Ingobernables de Japon (EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, KENTA & Karl Fredericks
Your final prelim features the last faction we’ve not had on the show so far… which means we get to check in on BUSHI’s latest wacky mask.
Tellingly, KENTA and Tanahashi came out separately. There may have been a handshake between KENTA and Okada, but things are nowhere near thawing elsewhere. We open with hair pulling between Tanahashi and EVIL, but Tanahashi manages to hit a springboard crossbody as commentary was already bringing up his bad leg. EVIL’s thrust kick turns the tide as LIJ got in front. The pace is damn near glacial as SANADA tied up Tanahashi in the ropes with a Paradise lock, before a BUSHI missile dropkick completed the set. We’re back with t-shirt choking, before EVIL went to Tanahashi’s knee again. It took a Twist and Shout for Tanahashi to get free as he made a tag to KENTA… in came SANADA too as the pair trade forearms, before KENTA looked to slap away on SANADA. Still glacial.
SANADA eventually caught some kicks before landing his double-leapfrog dropkick combo. Karl Fredericks and BUSHI come in next, with Fredericks scoring a nice Stinger splash and a Beele throw for a near-fall. A spinebuster’s next, but EVIL stops the LA Dojo lad in his tracks as he went for a single leg crab. Fredericks clung on though, as BUSHI got to the ropes, before LIJ proceeded to flood the ring. KENTA barely makes the save as a lungblower almost put Fredericks away… before the MX did the deal. Yeah. I’m scared for KENTA/SANADA, based on the showings here. Not exactly a banner year for the purveyor of the Skull End… **½
G1 Climax, Block B: Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto
I don’t think this is going long…
Goto plays to the crowd, but Yano’s fixing to blind him with a t-shirt as he goes roll-up crazy. Off come the turnbuckle pads as Goto’s pushed in and rolled up for a near-fall, before Yano misses a low blow and gets caught in a Deathlock clutch and rolled-up for the pin. Told you you shouldn’t have blinked.
G1 Climax, Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson
Kevin Kelly called this a “banger of a match” in the entrances. He wasn’t wrong…
They start off with a lot of shoulder charges, as Juice tries to hoss it up, but there’s no advantage as they ended up staring down each other ahead of… chops. Christ, the noise Juice’s chops made… Ishii’s response targeted the throat as he tried to stop Juice from being able to breathe in wonderfully violent fashion. Kicks from Ishii forced Juice to soak this up like a sponge, before his forearms to Ishii’s midriff barely fazed Ishii… so they go to headbutts, which went as well as you’d expect for the former US champion, who finally had luck with a spinebuster. Dusty punches follow, with Ishii giving instant replies before Juice’s clothesline puts him down on the mat.
A full nelson bomb’s good for a near-fall, with Ishii landing high on his neck and shoulder. More headbutts and chops from Juice see him build momentum, but he’s shoved off the top rope as Ishii joined him with a kneedrop! Ishii keeps up with chops and elbows in the corner, trapping Juice by the turnbuckle pads, before Juice again tried to hoss it up. Chops go back-and-forth until Juice crumbled to his knees… but he returned the earlier throat chops as he built up towards a cannonball in the corner. Juice tries to head up for a superplex, and gets Ishii down… but he’s straight back up to his feet! The defiance! A scoop slam took Juice down briefly, but he’s up to try for a Juice Box, having to make do with a leg lariat before a German suplex from Ishii had both men finally down. From there, Juice tried to rock Ishii with elbows – and succeeded – before he just walked through Ishii’s elbows as a Juice Box followed…
Goddamn, what a scary landing for Ishii. #g129 #NJPW https://t.co/d63mH2znnl pic.twitter.com/r0zgTUqYpx
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) July 28, 2019
Yeah, that gave me flashbacks to Hiromu… Jeez. Ishii’s somehow able to kick out, as he has to overpower Pulp Friction, responding with a clothesline before a headbutt and a lariat dropped Ishii. A powerbomb’s next from Juice for a near-fall… another Pulp Friction’s pushed away, before Ishii just trucked through Juice with a clothesline, only for Juice to pop up and try for another Juice Box. Instead, an enziguiri dropped Juice as more headbutts awaited… eventually having Juice on his knees for another crunching lariat. From there, Ishii calls for the brainbuster, but Juice countered with a Jackhammer as the pair faked out each other some more, leading to another Pulp Friction attempt… which Ishii countered with a Tiger suplex, before the sheer drop brainbuster finally got the win. This was some fantastic stuff, with both guys knocking lumps out of each other – I can see this being a “Marmite” match for so me, particularly because of the slow stretch in the middle… but if this is your kind of graps, this is going on your lists. ****½
G1 Climax, Block B: Taichi vs. Jeff Cobb
Not too long ago, this match was a feud for the NEVER title…
After an opening handshake, Taichi scurried for the ropes to force a break from a waistlock. He offers another handshake, but Cobb refuses… then falls for the distraction that was Miho Abe, as Taichi took the opportunity to attack him from behind. Cobb quickly recovers to take Taichi outside, but again Taichi uses Miho Abe as a human shield before a mic stand was used to knock Cobb down. Yes, it’s a shenanigans match. Cobb’s taken down commentary row with Rocky Romero again running as his chair was thrown into Cobb on the floor. Things calm down again, in that they head back to the ring, with Taichi landing some Kawada-style kicks, only to get charged into the corner by Cobb, who rained down some blows from above for good measure.
A Samoan drop followed as Taichi was dropped for a gachimuchi-sault… but Taichi rolls away as Cobb manages to get back in it anyway. Cobb ducks a gamengiri, but can’t miss it at the second time, as a third kick dropped Cobb to the mat. Off come the trousers as Taichi measures up for the buzzsaw kick, but it’s sidestepped as Cobb looked for Tour is the Islands, only for Taichi to escape and land an Axe bomber. Cobb’s back with rolling gutwrench suplexes, only for Taichi to stop him with a headkick… then get smashed with a nasty-looking piledriver. A pop-up ‘rana’s countered into the Athletic-plex, before a Tour of the Islands was turned into a roll-up for a near-fall as Taichi blew through his big moves to give him another breather. Cobb sized up for a superkick, but the ref’s used as a human shield… not to worry, Cobb’s headbutts and gachimuchi-sault takes Taichi down, before a Tour of the Islands led to the win. That result surprised me, but I guess they used all of the shenanigans early on. Cobb’s win keeps him technically alive, but he’s firmly mid-table after that bad start. ***¼
G1 Climax, Block B: Jay White vs. Shingo Takagi
While Shingo’s G1 hasn’t seen sparkling results, his matches have been pretty good. This is the one I was a little leery of, especially since Jay White’s having to go back to basic tactics.
Yeah, White heads outside at the bell, but Shingo’s not playing any of those games as he followed him outside to chop him to pieces. Again, White tries to bail, so Shingo just clotheslines him outside, before teasing a death valley driver on the apron… but Gedo grabs a foot to stop it, as White again tried to use cheap tricks. After getting thrown into the guard rails, White drops Shingo with a DDT, before he took the time to charge Shingo between the apron and guard rails with the old JR special. Back in the ring, a cravat keeps Shingo at bay, as “Mister Dragon” finally fought back with chops. A hair pull puts Shingo back down as White managed to block a chop, as Shingo finally got his own back… pulling hair before using a double chop.
A suplex drops White as Shingo began to build up momentum, building up to a back elbow off the top… but White just rolls away. In response, White suplexes Shingo into the corner, before a twister suplex led to a near-fall. Uppercuts follow, as White eventually took too long and got met with a clothesline… before he countered a Pumping Bomber with a Saito suplex. Shingo’s got one of his own too though, before he got met with a uranage as White took control again. White’s Kiwi Krusher followed for a near-fall, but Shingo headbutts and lariats his way back in. A tentative slap from White’s met with a thunderous lariat from Shingo, before White just dropped to his back to avoid a Pumping Bomber. Smart… but just cover him goddamnit. Shingo tries, but instead opts for a wheelbarrow suplex instead, before a sliding lariat’s caught. A Blade Runner’s blocked, with Shingo teasing Noshigami instead, landing that at the second attempt.
Gedo gets involved, tripping Shingo as he went for a Pumping Bomber… at the second try, White goes to the corner to avoid it, as Shingo instead goes in for a buckle bomb before finally landing the Pumping Bomber for a near-fall. The Last of the Dragon’s next, but White grabs the ref for the save as Gedo… runs into a punch from Shingo. White tries for a Blade Runner, but instead got dropped with Made in Japan as another near-fall beckoned. More back-and-forth led to White hitting a pair of sleeper suplexes to counter Shingo, before a single Blade Runner got the win. This was fine, and I appreciate that White was always going to win this given his stature in the company. At least it was his counter game being effective and all… but man, it takes some talent to nullify Shingo to the point of making him almost look ordinary. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, before anyone jumps on me… ***¾
G1 Climax, Block B: Jon Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito
Imagine telling people in January that this match was going to be a thing?
Commentary laid out for both entrances here, as Naito tried to bait Moxley with his Intercontinental title… then took his sweet time disrobing as they started out going hell for leather with rights hands, chops and anything else that hurt… before Naito Tranquilo’d. Moxley does the same, laying on his back to try and bait Naito to pin him… but it doesn’t work… so the slow-mo Benny Hill chase continues. Naito uses Irish whips to take Moxley into the guard rails, but he ends up getting thrown through a gate and into the crowd, before a chicken wing was used to drag Naito back towards the ring.
Moxley stays on Naito back in the ring, focusing on the left arm before some chops led to a brief spit-off, as Naito had to be baited into action. A leaping forearm from Naito’s countered into a uranage, before Moxley got some chairs out to… try and Pillman-ize the leg? The referee disarms Moxley, as Naito got free and booted the other chair through the US champion instead. A DDT on the chair looked to put Naito ahead, before he went back to the ring and hit a delayed Combinacion Cabron, faking out the fake-out as Moxley covered up. Moxley fought back in the corner, booting and elbowing Naito before an avalanche butterfly suplex sent Naito flying for a near-fall. There’s a quick response as a tornado DDT from Naito drew a two-count, only for Moxley to start biting away.
Oh God #g129 #NJPW https://t.co/d63mH2znnl pic.twitter.com/wODizBlGhn
— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) July 28, 2019
Naito gets free and spikes Moxley with a quick avalanche ‘rana, before he ran into a discus lariat as he looked to run in with a Destino. A DDT’s next for another near-fall, with a Regal Knee coming close too, before Naito snuck in Destino as he looked to end things quickly. A second Destino’s shoved off and countered with a snapping Death Rider DDT… but it’s still not enough! So Moxley hit a second one… and that’s all folks! Moxley remains unbeaten, and with Naito now having eaten a third loss, his G1 is in peril. ****
I’d put this show a huge step ahead of what we had on Saturday – although the G1 having both blocks with someone undefeated is telling me that someone’s going to have a big fall-off. Moxley being four points clear at the top could make him the prime candidate for some for this Newcastle United-like collapse, but I don’t know…
Block A:
Kazuchika Okada (5-0; 10pts)
KENTA (4-1; 8pts)
EVIL, Kota Ibushi, Hiroshi Tanahashi (3-2; 6pts)
Lance Archer, Will Ospreay (2-3; 4pts)
Bad Luck Fale, Zack Sabre Jr., SANADA (1-4; 2pts)
Block B:
Jon Moxley (5-0; 10pts)
Tomohiro Ishii, Juice Robinson (3-2; 6pts)
Jeff Cobb, Hirooki Goto, Tetsuya Naito, Taichi, Shingo Takagi, Jay White, Toru Yano (2-3; 4pts)
This second half of the G1’s got a lot more travel days – no show on Monday, Wednesday or Friday, as instead they’re travelling to Kagawa for Tuesday, Fukuoka on Thursday, and Osaka for next weekend’s double-header.