We’re back for the second night of tournament action, featuring the G1 debut of JONAH, while Shingo Takagi and Juice Robinson lock horns in the main event.
Quick Results
G1 Climax 32 – Block B: Taichi pinned Tomohiro Ishii in 15:21 (***¾)
G1 Climax 32 – Block A: Toru Yano defeated JONAH by count-out in 9:01 (**¼)
G1 Climax 32 – Block C: Zack Sabre Jr. submitted KENTA in 21:33 (***)
G1 Climax 32 – Block D: Juice Robinson pinned Shingo Takagi in 21:38 (***¼)
We’re back at the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center Hokkai Kitayell in Hokkaido with Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton on commentary making some rather pointed digs in the prelims.
G1 Climax 32 – Block B: Taichi vs. Tomohiro Ishii
These two have really clicked in years gone by, but Ishii’s got the head-to-head lead, winning five times to Taichi’s lone win back in 2019’s G1.
Ishii gets in Taichi’s face before the bell, as we open with a lock-up and some strikes. Taichi’s palm strike has Ishii dazed on the mat… but Ishii regains himself and knocked Taichi down with a forearm in response. Chops have Taichi in the corner, before Ishii burst in with the Violence Party of chops and forearms as Taichi dared to fight back. Ishii fires up Taichi as they trade kicks and chops, before Taichi’s uwatanage-style sumo throw was stopped as Ishii just went for the throat instead. Finally finding a way through, Taichi lands a pair of gamengiri in the corner, then a series of kicks before Taichi ripped off his trousers and threw them at Ishii.
Chops and kicks punctuate things as all of the showmanship was thrown out of the window. More chops see Ishii target Taichi’s throat in the corner, before more kicks from Taichi led to him dropping Ishii once more. Ishii sneaks out, winning a battle of back suplexes, before he took Taichi up top for a superplex… with Taichi barely kicking out after the landing. Taichi tries to boot away Ishii, before the pair hit duelling clotheslines, then forearms, with Ishii finally crumpling as Taichi also collapsed to the mat. They pull themselves up as we’re back to duelling clotheslines, while an Ishii headbutt just earned him an Axe Bomber and an enziguiri. From there, Taichi pulls up Ishii for a Last Ride and a folding pin for a near-fall, before a Dangerous backdrop suplex nearly got the win again.
Ishii cuts off Taichi’s momentum with a dropkick, but Taichi fires back in kind as we’re starting to swing for the fences. A German suplex earns a clothesline, before Taichi nailed another Axe bomber… while a bridging Dangerous backdrop suplex almost ended things. Taichi tries for a Black Mephisto, but Ishii gets free before that uwatanage takedown landed. Ishii’s right back up with a shoulder block and an enziguiri, before he sat up Taichi for a sliding lariat. Taichi kicks out at two from that tight cover, then responded to another headbutt with the Hakuho elbow, before landing a Black Mephisto for the win. If you like your wrestling to look like two guys beating the heck out of each other, then this is one to stick on your watch list! Things dipped a little in the middle, but this was an absolute cracker to get today’s block matches underway. ***¾
Taichi’s back on July 24 against SANADA, while Ishii’s second block match is on July 23 against Jay White.
G1 Climax 32 – Block A: JONAH vs. Toru Yano
This is JONAH’s main roster debut, having done a lot of New Japan shows in the US and Australia. Surprisingly, this isn’t their first meeting, having faced off in a pair of tag matches – one in NOAH, one in New Japan – with both men tasting victory and defeat. Although JONAH’s win came in yesterday’s undercard!
Yano’s known for his shenanigans in G1s of old, and this year his tactic seemed to be to stay in the corner so JONAH couldn’t go for him. Cowering, Yano decides to offer JONAH a t-shirt, but JONAH throws it to the mat and began to beat on Yano… you know what’s next. Yano blinds JONAH with the shirt, then rolled him up for a near-fall, before an eye rake earned Yano a shoulder tackle. JONAH finds some wrist tape in Yano’s gear, which the ref confiscates, before Yano bopped JONAH in the head. Yano scarpers, but backs into Bad Dude Tito on the outside. They both roar at Yano, who tried to head back into the ring, only to get pulled back into the railings and then stood on. By JONAH. Not that Tito doing it would have been much better for Yano.
Back inside, a legdrop earns JONAH a two-count, before a grounded waistlock nearly made Yano submit. A back elbow keeps Yano down, as he’s then taken to the corner for some shoulder charges and squashing. Yano grabs the referee to try and avoid a powerbomb, but JONAH stays in control anyway, taking Yano down for a back senton… that misses. Off comes a corner pad, but Yano didn’t sidestep quickly enough as JONAH caught him against the exposed corner. Yano blocks a whip back into the corner, then sidestepped as JONAH nearly got pinned with a roll-up as I suspect they just went back around there. A slam and a rolling shoulder tackle splats into Yano, before he got back up and hit that belly-to-belly suplex.
A body attack and a back senton puts JONAH firmly in the driver’s seat once more, as they head outside, with Yano getting thrown into the railings. JONAH takes it into the aisle as he looked to slam down Yano… who gets free, then shoved Bad Dude Tito into him, before a low blow caught both men, allowing Yano to roll back in and snatch the win via count-out. HUH. I mean, it’s not the finish I’d have gone for, but this is what Yano’s there for – to screw up your pick ‘ems. **¼
JONAH’s next match is on July 30 against Tom Lawlor – a lengthy break – while Yano’s second match is on July 23 against Kazuchika Okada.
G1 Climax 32 – Block C: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
KENTA’s got a 3-1 lead in the head to heads here, with Sabre’s only win being in 2019’s G1.
The bell sounds as Sabre demanded KENTA make him “vegan chanko,” before the pair traded some measured elbows. Things quickly spill outside with KENTA repeatedly hurling Sabre into the railings, before a DDT in the aisle could have led to a count-out… but KENTA brings it back inside as he picked up a series of one-counts. KENTA boots Sabre onto the apron, where he ends up getting his leg caught as Sabre went for a heel hook through the ropes. After breaking the hold, Sabre drags KENTA outside so he could wrap his legs through the guard rails for another hold, before he dropped the knee onto KENTA’s leg on the floor.
Back inside, KENTA’s tripped as Sabre goes back for the legs, following up for a bow and arrow hold, which morphed into an armbar as KENTA got to the ropes. After the break, the pair traded uppercuts, before KENTA’s snapmare and kick to the back led to the pair trading those shots to the back. Sabre fakes out KENTA and twists his neck twice amid the back-and-forth, before he went back to the arm and wrist of KENTA, torquing it ahead of a stomp to the elbow. An arm snapper followed on KENTA, before a powerslam took Sabre down off the ropes as KENTA headed to the corner and removed a turnbuckle pad.
KENTA chucks Sabre into the exposed corner, then went for a tornado hotshot to hang up Zack in the ropes, before a flying clothesline earned KENTA a near-fall. A Tiger suplex from KENTA’s blocked, as he instead peppered Sabre with shots… but a backfist is ducked as Sabre pulled KENTA down for a double armbar, morphing it into almost a crucifix for a near-fall. More back-and-forth sees KENTA land a spinning clothesline, only Sabre to aim a Pele kick at KENTA’s arm and a dropkick to cut through KENTA’s flurry. We’re back to forearms and uppercuts before KENTA baited Sabre into the ropes for a Green Killer DDT. A hesitation dropkick follows in the corner, then a double stomp off the top as KENTA almost took home the win.
Sabre lights up KENTA with palm strikes, but gets jabbed to the mat as KENTA returned the favour, before a Go 2 Sleep’s blocked. KENTA slaps out of a possible Dragon screw and goes to the hold again, but Sabre dragged KENTA down into a rear naked choke before he transitioned through holds, only to get elbowed. KENTA’s kick’s caught as Sabre went back for an ankle lock, but KENTA rolled through and tried to send Sabre into the exposed corner. Sabre put the brakes on, only to charge into a knee strike from KENTA that almost forced a TKO stoppage… with a Busaiku knee next for a near-fall. KENTA pulls up Sabre on another cover, then again after a head kick as KENTA was beginning to play with his food here… and was made to pay as Sabre grapevine the leg looking for a hold. KENTA throws palm strikes trying to break it, but Sabre caught it and having tied up all but one limb, Sabre forced the sudden stoppage. This one really didn’t land for me, and I’ve got to put it down to the clap crowds – the lack of reactions throughout made this one drag, no matter the background story of KENTA trying to embarrass his “junior” Sabre. ***
KENTA’s back on July 26 against EVIL, while ZSJ returns on July 23 against Aaron Henare.
G1 Climax 32 – Block D: Juice Robinson vs. Shingo Takagi
Juice comes in having won their only prior singles match – at the same stage of 2019’s G1.
Juice attacked Shingo before the bell, demanding the match start as he proceeded to chuck Shingo outside. The pair scrap around ringside, with Shingo tasting the guard rails before he popped Juice against the side of the ring. Back inside, a knee to the gut and a shoulder tackle has Juice down, before a suplex drew nary a one-count. Shingo grounds Juice with a side headlock, before a bell clapper left the former US champion rocked ahead of a series of elbow drops. Juice rolls outside to avoid a back senton, where the pair teased death valley drivers… only for Juice to pull Shingo to the floor, where Shingo got popped up against the guard rails.
Juice added some more as he posted Shingo, then crotched him in the guard rails for good measure as he looked to take a count-out win. Shingo beats the count-out as the pair went on to trade chops, before a Dusty punch knocked Shingo down to the mat. A back suplex and a back senton splats Shingo for a near-fall, before Shingo’s own jab earned him a leg lariat as Juice remained ahead. Juice keeps going for those Dusty punches, but Shingo suckered him in for a Saito suplex, following up with a slam and a back senton for a near-fall as the current KOPW trophy holder began to find his form. More Dusty punches from Shingo led to a DDT as Juice cowered from a finale, before his brainbuster turned into a snap suplex for a two-count.
Elbows looked to set up for a sliding lariat from Shingo, but Juice rolled away before the pair traded charging clotheslines in the corner. A shotgun dropkick has Shingo back in the buckles for a cannonball, before a superplex brought Shingo down… with Juice rolling him up for something else, eventually landing the full nelson slam for a near-fall. A back suplex from Shingo’s stopped as Juice came back with a Juice Box gutbuster, before his Pulp Friction’s countered into a noshigami instead. Shingo adds a wheelbarrow suplex and a sliding lariat for a near-fall, before a Made in Japan was countered with a roll-up – and a big handful of tights from Juice. Juice goes after Red Shoes Unno after he refused to count, but that just allowed Shingo back in, catching a slingshot spear from Juice and turning it into a backbreaker.
Shingo adds a Pumping Bomber from there for a near-fall, before lariats from Juice led to headbutts going back-and-forth. Elbows from Shingo keep it going, before the Left Hand of God and a Pulp Friction took the former champion down… with Juice getting a near-fall after a delayed cover. More duelling clotheslines follow as the pair trade jabs and headbutts… but it’s another Shingo clothesline that lands. A Last of the Dragon looks to follow, but Juice slips out and stumbled into the ref… hiding behind Red Shoes before two Left Hands of God and a Pulp Friction got the win. A really flat finish after the pseudo ref bump, as Juice starts his G1 with a win. ***¼
Juice’s second match is on July 26 against his former tag partner David Finlay, while Shingo’s back in action on July 23 against YOSHI-HASHI.
After two matches in each block, your standings are as follows. Look forward to me messing these up by the middle of the tournament!
Block A: Okada, Yano (1-0 / 2pts); Archer, Fale, Lawlor (0-0 / 0pts) Cobb, JONAH (0-1 / 0pts)
Block B: White, Taichi (1-0 / 2pts); O-Khan, Owens, Tonga (0-0 / 0pts); Ishii, SANADA (0-1 / 0pts)
Block C: Henare, Zack Sabre Jr. (1-0 / 2pts); Naito, EVIL, Goto (0-0 / 0pts) KENTA, Tanahashi (0-1 / 0pts)
Block D: Ospreay, Robinson (1-0 / 2pts); YOSHI-HASHI, Finlay, Yujiro (0-0 / 0pts); Phantasmo, Takagi (0-1 / 0pts)
The G1’s got a few days off, which is good for me since England’s about to hit record high temperatures in the next 72 hours. So, assuming I’ve not liquified by then, the G1’s back in Sendai on Wednesday with Hirooki Goto & Tetsuya Naito main eventing. While not reaching the same heights as night one, the second night of the G1 held steady. The current format of 4-5 block matches a night does mean that anything that doesn’t quite hit the mark’s going to drag things down, relatively speaking, so perhaps don’t expect too many chart-topping shows this year.