David Finlay looks to add to his big win over Juice Robinson last week, as he takes on Will Ospreay in his latest G1 Climax block match.
Quick Results
G1 Climax 32 – Block B: Great O-Khan pinned Tomohiro Ishii in 12:59 (***¼)
G1 Climax 32 – Block A: Tom Lawlor pinned Toru Yano in 10:13 (***)
G1 Climax 32 – Block B: Tama Tonga pinned SANADA in 16:28 (***¼)
G1 Climax 32 – Block C: KENTA pinned Hirooki Goto in 18:08 (***½)
G1 Climax 32 – Block D: David Finlay pinned Will Ospreay in 15:28 (***¾)
We’re at the Hamamatsu Arena in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka for this leg of the G1, with Kevin Kelly being joined on commentary by Lance Archer as they continue to make use of the English-speaking roster in the booth. The undercard today was wrapped up in around an hour, so I’ve a feeling that something’s gonna run long in the G1 matches…
G1 Climax 32 – Block B: Great O-Khan vs. Tomohiro Ishii
We’ve just the one prior singles match, with Ishii beating O-Khan in last year’s G1, and we’re on the verge of “win or bust” here for both guys.
O-Khan pulled Ishii to the mat at the bell for a cross armbar, but it’s right by the ropes for a quick break. A scramble on the mat ends with the pair standing up, before O-Khan was able to roll Ishii down for a one-count. Ishii grabs a waistlock, but O-Khan breaks it and went back to the armbar, with Ishii scrambling to the rope to break the Fujiwara.
Ishii’s taken into the corner as things broke down a little, leading to Ishii getting whipped to the opposite corner. He bounds out for shoulder tackles, eventually taking O-Khan down, before chops had O-Khan by the ropes. O-Khan’s rolled down into a heel hook, but O-Khan countered out into a leg lock as the pair went for submissions.
Mongolian chops from O-Khan are eventually blocked as the pair trade forearms and elbows… Ishii’s staggered, but fired back before he was sunk with an elbow. Ishii sidesteps a Mongolian chop, before the pair traded suplexes, leading to shoulder tackle, dropkicks and a wild lariat as O-Khan looked to edge ahead.
Ishii’s right back in with a suplex as he looked to finish off O-Khan with a brainbuster… O-Khan slipped out, only to get met with an enziguiri and a sliding lariat for a near-fall. O-Khan wriggles out of a brainbuster and came back in with headbutts, following with a backbreaker and the Sheep Killer. An Eliminator’s escaped, but Ishii’s spun into a throat thrust before he returned the earlier headbutt… only to get caught in a Tenzan Tombstone Driver. The Eliminator follows, and that’s Tomohiro Ishii’s G1 virtually over after a pretty good slugfest. ***¼
O-Khan’s next match is on Saturday against Jay White, while Ishii has Chase Owens on Sunday.
G1 Climax 32 – Block A: Tom Lawlor vs. Toru Yano
A first-time singles meeting. I know, I’m shocked too!
We start with Lawlor taking off his outer layer of denim, before he offered Toru Yano a copy of Sister Act AND Sister Act 2 on DVD. He swapped it for Yano’s latest YTR VTR DVD, but it’s an empty case. Yano’s fascinated by Tom’s hair, and pulled off what turned out to be a wig before the pair headed to ground, looking for a hold.
Yano grabbed the ropes as Lawlor looked for a calf slicer, then bopped the former Strong openweight champion in the head. Lawlor’s chucked outside so Yano can reveal that he too has under-trunks, before Lawlor took Yano down for a cross armbar. It ends quickly in the ropes as Yano still had his over-tights over his boots… Yano rolls outside to remove them.
Lawlor removed another pair of shorts so he and Royce Isaacs could pose, but heading outside looked to be an error as Yano took Lawlor into the rails. Isaacs tries to help, but he gets tapped to the rails by the English commentary team. Back inside, Lawlor’s pulled down by his hair, before Yano removed a corner pad.
Yano throws it to Lawlor, who threw it to Isaacs who’d popped up on the apron. Shenanigans led to Isaacs removing the pad as Yano ran into the exposed corner for a two-count. A rebound belly-to-belly off the ropes has Lawlor down, allowing Yano to remove another corner pad as Yano faked out a whip and sent him into the exposed corner. The one without Royce.
A roll-up gets Yano a two-count, before a Manhattan drop and a slingshot took Lawlor into another exposed corner. The ensuing roll-up gets Yano a two-count, before Lawlor fought out of a powerbomb and kicked Yano down. Yano reverses a whip into the exposed corner, then nearly won with a Fireman’s carry roll-up… before Lawlor ate a mule kick and a backslide for another near-fall.
Yano goes for another low blow, but Lawlor’s unaffected by it… he hits a Kamigoye-like knee, then a Nasty Knee On The Brain… and that’s enough for the balls-of-steel Lawlor. I enjoyed the heck out of this variety show, with all the gimmicks you’d expect from Toru Yano. Post-match, Lawlor revealed he’d worn a cup, which shows he’s been watching his Yano tapes! ***
Lawlor’s back on Sunday against Bad Luck Fale… Yano has Lance Archer on Saturday.
G1 Climax 32 – Block B: SANADA vs. Tama Tonga
This’ll be the fifth time in the last six G1s these two have met – and we’ve a 2-2 record in what are the only singles matches between the pair.
SANADA winds up Tama’s arm to start, before a side headlock from Tama sparked a series of counters that ended with the pair standing back up. A handshake from SANADA’s accepted, but he pulls Tama down for a Paradise Lock, which was pushed away as Tama tried one of his own. Of course, that too was pushed away, before a series of armdrags and a dropkick took SANADA outside.
Switcheroos led to the pair heading back inside, with SANADA rolling through a sunset flip as he eventually tied up Tama in a Paradise Lock. A low dropkick frees Tama, who’s then elbowed in the head as SANADA kept him at close quarters. A whip takes Tama into the corner, but he charges back out with a clothesline, before SANADA elbowed back to try and dampen the fires… only to run into a dropkick seconds later.
Tama’s side suplex gets him a two-count, as he stayed on SANADA with kicks and headbutts. It leads to a Tongan Twist, but SANADA powers out and rolled free, following up with the double leapfrog and dropkick combo that took Tama outside for the plancha. A TKO’s escaped as Tama countered a second attempt into a Tongan Twist.
SANADA sidesteps a Stinger splash, but couldn’t avoid a rolling death valley driver as Tama had to leap more than halfway across the ring to hit the Supreme Flow. It nearly wins it for him, before SANADA tried to get the hooks in on a Skull End. That doesn’t work, but a springboard missile dropkick does, as did a TKO, before SANADA went up top… and crashed and burned on the moonsault as Tama just about got the knees up.
Tama tries to charge in for a Gun Stun, but SANADA dragged him down into a Skull End, which ended with Tama dragging a leg into the ropes. Resetting, SANADA throws some forearms, with Tama returning the favour as we crossed the quarter-hour marker. Tama inches ahead with Veleno for a near-fall, before SANADA blocked a Gun Stun.
Another Skull End’s countered, as was Tama’s Tongan Twist, before another Gun Stun’s countered into an O’Connor Roll for a near-fall. From the kick-out, Tama finally hits the Gun Stun cleanly, and that was the killshot as Tama creeps up to second in the block. ***¼
SANADA has Chase Owens next Tuesday, while Tama Tonga faces Taichi on the same night.
G1 Climax 32 – Block C: KENTA vs. Hirooki Goto
These two met twice in 2020, and have a win apiece, while a win for Goto would put him clear at the top of his block.
KENTA backed into the ropes from the opening lock-up, before he threw some body blows as Goto in another corner. A side headlock from Goto leads to some hair pulling, but KENTA can’t break the grip as Goto took him down to the mat. Goto eventually has his grip broken as he took KENTA to the ropes… leading to a hiptoss reversal as KENTA ended up bailing to the floor.
Goto comes off the worse for wear after a shot with the ring bell, then a DDT in the aisle, before a punt to the back from KENTA left Goto laying back inside. KENTA stays ahead with a drop toe hold and some punches, before a running kick trapped Goto in the corner. A quick escape allowed Goto to return with a spinning clothesline, following with a spinning heel kick into the corner and a bulldog out of it for a near-fall.
KENTA’s lifted onto the apron as Goto looked to knock him to the floor… only for KENTA to hit a shoulder charge as he then teased a suplex from the ring to the floor. Goto sends KENTA back inside, only to be met with a powerslam and a flying clothesline. A STF keeps Goto grounded, but the ropes eventually forced the break as KENTA threw more kicks in frustration.
A Green Killer DDT brings Goto back into the ring, as a hesitation dropkick followed in the corner ahead of a stomp off the top. Goto avoids that as he ends up catching KENTA in a reverse GTR and a clothesline. From there, the pair tee off on each other with forearms and elbows, but it’s a Goto headbutt that took down KENTA ahead of an ushigoroshi.
Goto only gets a near-fall from that, before KENTA took Goto into the cornered referee. A DDT followed as we now had the opening for some shenanigans, with KENTA rolling outside to take hold of Goto’s bo staff. After some phallic stick stroking, KENTA tries to hit Goto with it, only to get thrown away… and then grabbed the referee claiming foul.
A low blow followed from KENTA, who again threw Goto into Red Shoes Unno. Another swing of the bo staff misses as KENTA’s taken into the corner for a one-man Shoto… but KENTA breaks the move by hitting Goto with the stick. Another staff shot followed as KENTA rolled the referee back in… then hit a double stomp off the top for a near-fall. Goto blocks a Go 2 Sleep, but that just earns him some palm strikes before KENTA hit a knee in mid air to break out of another ushigoroshi.
KENTA dives in with a Busaiku knee from there for another near-fall, before Goto blocked another Go 2 Sleep. A third one wrecks him, and that’s enough to put away a bloodied Goto – whose dreams of leading the block have now suddenly turned into a three-way tie at the top. ***½
KENTA faces Tetsuya Naito on August 9, as Goto takes on Zack Sabre Jr. on August 6.
G1 Climax 32 – Block D: David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay
We’ve had two prior singles meetings here, with Ospreay winning both – in October 2016, and last year in the semis of the New Japan Cup. Ospreay came out sans robe, and left his Rev Pro belt in the aisle as he made a beeline for Finlay, and of course, things break down quickly as we start with a hockey fight.
Wild swinging strikes from both men end with a Cactus clothesline from Finlay to the outside, as a throat thrust followed. Ospreay looks to fight back, but got charged into the railings before a snap suplex back inside drew a one-count. A snapmare and a diving uppercut gets another one-count for Finlay, who stomped away on Ospreay before a trip up top saw him get chopped to the floor.
Ospreay heads outside and chucks Finlay into the railings, before a back suplex dropped Finlay onto the edge of the ring. Knee drops back inside keep Finlay down, ahead of a double armbar that saw him stretch out Finlay’s shoulder, rolling him down into a pinning attempt for good measure.
Finlay spits back at Ospreay, but ends up getting beaten down some more before the pair exchanged uppercuts. A hiptoss from Finlay’s deftly blocked and turned into an abdominal stretch, but Finlay eventually broke it up with a hiptoss before he followed with a nice back body drop. Forearms follow to keep Ospreay down, leading to an uppercut off the middle rope for a near-fall.
Ospreay hooked the ropes to force a break on some strikes, then leapt out of a uranage before taking Finlay outside with a handspring enziguiri. A plancha follows outside, while a springboard forearm back in led to Ospreay going for a Chelsea Grin… but Finlay spun out for a uranage backbreaker to stop Ospreay in his tracks. Finlay stomps Ospreay into the corner as the referee’s forced to pull the pair apart, before Finlay took things up top, with Ospreay throwing away a superplex attempt… only for Finlay to charge back in to crotch Ospreay.
Finlay heads back up top and hits the superplex for a near-fall, before a scrap on the apron ended with Ospreay hitting an OsCutter from the turnbuckles to the side of the ring. That escalated in a hurry. Ospreay rolls back inside, but Finlay just about beats the count… only to get caught with a Coast-to-Coast-like dropkick for a near-fall.
An OsCutter’s blocked, but not at the second attempt as it’s good for a near-fall, before Ospreay teed up for a Hidden Blade. Finlay folded forward to avoid it, before he countered Ospreay’s springboard into a Prima Nocta for a near-fall. An Acid Drop follows out of the corner, but Ospreay kicks out in time before he escaped a Trash Panda… the pair trade pinning attempts as we cross the 15-minute mark, before a Hidden Blade to the face was met with a backslide as Finlay rolled Ospreay up into a Trash Panda… and holy heck, there’s your upset! That win puts Finlay top of block D, albeit with just two matches left for him, and more than likely gets him a proper title shot at Ospreay’s US title down the road. As for this match, it simmered away nicely until the finish – and I’m looking forward to that rematch, especially if they can hold it off until those Korakuens with proper crowds back. ***¾
Finlay returns against El Phantasmo on August 10, while Ospreay’s next match is against Shingo Takagi on August 6.
Your standings then, with everyone now having escaped the dreaded goose-egg situation having scored at least one win each:
Block A: Okada (3-0 / 6pts); Cobb (2-1 / 4pts); Fale (2-2 / 4pts); JONAH (1-1 / 2pts); Archer, Lawlor; Yano (1-3 / 2pts)
Block B: White (3-0 / 6pts); Tonga (2-1 / 4pts); SANADA (2-2 / 4pts); Taichi (1-1 / 2pts); O-Khan, Owens (1-2 / 2pts); Ishii (1-3 / 2pts)
Block C: Goto, Tanahashi, Zack Sabre Jr. (2-1 / 4pts); EVIL, Henare, KENTA, Naito (1-2 / 2pts)
Block D: Finlay (3-1 / 6pts); Ospreay (2-1 / 4pts); Phantasmo, YOSHI-HASHI (1-1 / 2pts); Robinson, Takagi, Yujiro (1-2 / 2pts)
The G1 picks up again on Friday in Ehime, with EVIL and Hiroshi Tanahashi in a block C main event.
Once again, the G1 matches were consistent, with some big surprises – but with us now heading into the second half of the tournament, you’re more than likely going to be waiting until the knock-out portion of things for anything to really make a mark on your spreadsheets.