Blocks C and D of the G1 Climax kick off their campaigns, with Tetsuya Naito looking to overcome Jeff Cobb in their opening main event.
Quick Results
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: David Finlay pinned Tomohiro Ishii in 15:55 (***¼)
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Hirooki Goto pinned Toru Yano in 6:44 (**¼)
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: Mikey Nicholls pinned HENARE in 12:21 (***)
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Shane Haste pinned Alex Coughlin in 10:55 (***)
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: Eddie Kingston pinned Shingo Takagi in 12:50 (***¾)
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Zack Sabre Jr. pinned Hiroshi Tanahashi in 16:10 (***½)
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: EVIL pinned Tama Tonga in 17:34 (**½)
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Jeff Cobb pinned Tetsuya Naito in 14:20 (***½)
We’re back on tape from the Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center Hokkai Kitayell in Hokkaido as blocks C and D kick off their G1. Once more, Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton are in on English commentary…
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: Tomohiro Ishii vs. David Finlay
A quick rematch from this year’s New Japan Cup – which saw Finlay get the win in just under 20-minutes. He’ll have to go a little quicker this time around to avoid any hairy moments with time limit draws.
And yes, the irony of David Finlay being put into C block isn’t lost on me. Where’s the thumb trophy, Dave? This one started hot, with the pair leathering each other with elbows as Ishii pulled ahead with a shoulder tackle, before he battered Finlay into the corner. A chop block to the knee gives Finlay an opening though, as he returned the earlier favour by battering Ishii back into the corner.
Finlay quelled an Ishii comeback right away with a uranage backbreaker for a near-fall, before he went back to Ishii’s knee… only to get met with a POUNCE. A superplex keeps Ishii’s chances alive, only for Finlay to evade a sliding lariat and throw Ishii with a German suplex. A Dominator’s next for a near-fall for Finlay, only for Ishii to knock him loopy with some elbows. Finlay’s almost-desperation spear in return drew a near-fall, only for Ishii to retaliate with a folding powerbomb that almost won it. The Blue Thunder Bomb ensures the momentum kept swinging back-and-forth, while a rising headbutt from Ishii seemed to damage both parties.
Ishii’s enziguiri looked to lead to the brainbuster, but it’s Finlay who won out on the doe-see-doe as he maneuvered Ishii into an Osaka Street Cutter, before the Into Oblivion – formerly the Trash Panda over-the-knee brainbuster – got the win. ***¼
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Toru Yano vs. Hirooki Goto
Last time these met in the G1, Goto beat Yano in just eighteen seconds… Yano’s out with the mascot of Hokkaido, Tomukun, so I’m thinking this isn’t going to be as short.
They tease a quick finish as Yano scored with a backslide, then a roll-up out of a Goto-shiki submission attempt, before low-bridging Goto to the outside as we pass that 18-second mark… so cue Yano shtick. Off comes the corner pad as this year he’s not giving up the shtick… which means we get the pair reversing each other’s reversals of Irish whips, ending with them tiring each other out rather than anyone being thrown hard into the rails. Yano recovered first to hurl Goto into the railings, before he threw Goto and Tomukun under the ring in a bid to get a count-out. Cue cartoony fighting noises from under the ring, but Goto emerges wearing the Tomukun mascot head, shaking it off before he beat the count. A roll-up out of the corner nearly puts Goto away as what was left of the mascot was still visibly poking around under the boards…
Goto fell for a fake-out from Yano and ate an atomic drop in return as Yano looked to put this one away with a series of roll-ups, before Goto blocked a low blow and countered with some headbutts. The GTR follows, and that is that – entertaining to start, but this quickly petered out. **¼
Post-match, the young lions, including Oskar Leube, poked under the ring to tend to the headless-mascot. I swear that was a rejected script from the Office…
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: HENARE vs. Mikey Nicholls
There’s something different about HENARE – he’s ditched the forename and is now sporting a Māori facial tattoo known as a tā moko.
HENARE withstood the early going, trading strikes as he and Nicholls spilled through the ropes to the outside, where the Aussie looked to pull ahead. In the crowd, HENARE’s headbutt has Nicholls on the guard rails for some kicks, before a pop-up Samoan drop back inside looked to keep the New Zealander ahead. Tying up the legs, HENARE pulls up Nicholls for a curb stomp, before a snap DDT bought Nicholls some time. A tornado DDT keeps it going for Nicholls, who took things up top for an eventual superplex.
HENARE eventually gets back in it after some JYD-esque headbutts bloodied up Nicholls the hard way… a rugby tackle charges Nicholls into the corner, before Nicholls’ hit back with a Mikey Bomb for a near-fall. A gut shot from HENARE sets up Nicholls for the Ultima, but Nicholls got to the ropes, before he countered a Streets of Range with a death valley driver. From there, Nicholls’ lariat gets a two-count, promoting him to head up top as he missed with a moonsault… HENARE tries to capitalise, cracking Nicholls with a bicycle knee in the corner, before another Streets of Rage was blocked. HENARE landed another headbutt, but couldn’t push on as Nicholls scooped up HENARE for a Master Blaster, dumping HENARE on his head. It’s enough to make Kevin Kelly swear, so you know how bad it looked, and thankfully that was all – with HENARE being carried out afterwards… ***
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Shane Haste vs. Alex Coughlin
We keep the Aussies rolling on as Shane Haste made his G1 bow – keeping the wacky top hat from his colourful press conference suit. The one that wouldn’t have looked out of place on Willy Wonka…
Coughlin’s no longer an Android, but the unhinged stuff comes across well when mixed with his raw power here. He starts by chucking Haste with a fallaway slam, only for Haste to take Coughlin outside with a dropkick… following with a tope that missed, allowing Coughlin to chuck him with a belly-to-belly on the floor. Despite taking a back suplex onto the side of the ring, Coughlin’s able to shake it off and deadlift suplex Haste from the apron back inside. An Irish whip sticks Haste into the corner, only for him to hit a back suplex coming out as the crowd looked to be a little subdued. An X-Plex slam from Haste nearly put Coughlin away, before Coughlin smashed back in with a German suplex and a death valley driver.
Haste tries to return with a guillotine choke, but Coughlin powered out into a Sky High powerbomb for a near-fall – which led to him exploding with rage at the referee for what he thought was a slow count. Heading outside, Coughlin throws some chairs into the ring, then grabbed his STRONG tag title belt… Haste recovered while Coughlin was rooting for stuff, and caught him with a Bomb Valley Death back inside, which proved to be enough for the win as the Bullet Club War Dog team look to be incapable of controlling their tempers. ***
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: Shingo Takagi vs. Eddie Kingston
LET’S GO!
Kingston showed no fear as he got in Shingo’s face before the bell, sparking some see-saw shoulder tackles that led to him getting clotheslined into the corner. He laughed it off and demanded Shingo light him up with chops, as their back-and-forth led to a double-handed chop taking Kingston down. Kicks from Shingo rile up Kingston, whose Backfist to the Future knocked Shingo to the outside after another exchange. Kingston eventually headed outside to go after Shingo, which led to him getting whipped into the guard rails, only to rebound with a clothesline. Back in the ring, Machine Gun chops from Kingston lead to an Exploder out of the corner for a near-fall, before Shingo hit back with his combo of a jab, elbow and clothesline.
Shingo built up momentum from there, leading to a superplex before he and Kingston traded chops to the neck. Just for fun. A Saito suplex countered another backfist attempt, but Kingston’s able to hit back with one of his own for a two-count before Shingo fought out of a Northern Lights bomb attempt. More back-and-forth leads to the pair trading lariats, before Shingo’s Northern Lights bomb drew a one-count. Eddie gets back up, but is sent right back down with a Pumping Bomber, before a Last of the Dragon was countered out of. Another lariat gets Kingston a one-count, before he nailed a trio of Backfist to the Futures… sinking Shingo ahead of the Northern Lights Bomb for the win. A perhaps unexpected win for Kingston on his debut, but one he and Shingo went gung ho on in search of that W. ***¾
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
There’s a lot of questions over Tanahashi’s G1 future given his stuttering performances – against ZSJ, he’s won more than he’s lost, including having a 3-1 record over Sabre in G1 matches.
Tanahashi’s been watching Pretty Deadly, judging by his new sleeves… and he started by going hold for hold on the mat, exchanging headlock takedowns and escapes. Things build up to the pair trading uppercuts as the pair scrambled to get the upper hand for a backslide… ending with Tanahashi escaping and hyperextending Sabre’s arm instead. Sabre’s kept on the mat as he had to roll to the ropes to escape a short arm scissors, before he caught Tanahashi in the ropes with a rear naked choke. Tanahashi’s kept on the mat as Sabre worked over those infamous knees, then prodded Tanahashi with kicks to a rather sped-up recital of Tanahashi’s theme.
Responding, Tanahashi threw some uppercuts, then a leaping forearm off the ropes, before a flip senton crushed Sabre for a two-count. Sabre’s able to force his way back in with a Cobra Twist, but Tanahashi reverses it before he hiptossed Sabre out of the counter. A low dropkick to the knee stops Tanahashi in his tracks, as did a Dragon screw that eventually set up for a Cloverleaf on Tanahashi… which was countered into a triangle armbar instead. Sabre slips out and grounds Tanahashi with another Dragon screw, before a heel hook forced Tanahashi into the ropes. Tanahashi’s able to counter a shinbreaker with a Twist and Shout neckbreaker as he proceeded to repeatedly Dragon screw Sabre’s arm into the mat. Tanahashi avoids another low dropkick to the knee as Sabre was perhaps getting a little too predictable… following up with a Slingblade to the TV champion for a near-fall.
We cross the 15-minute mark as Tanahashi headed up top for a High Fly Flow, only for Sabre to roll through and crack Tanahashi with a PK for a two-count of his own. Tanahashi goes back to the arm with a rolling cross armbreaker, but Sabre cradles his way out of it and manages to snatch the win with a roll-up – a somewhat laboured outing from Tanahashi, whose G1 I feel will be centred around the story of him trying to accommodate to his increasing limitations. ***½
G1 Climax 33 – Block C: EVIL vs. Tama Tonga
We’re revisiting the ground that led to Tama Tonga and the Guerrillas of Destiny being kicked out of Bullet Club. EVIL’s won both of their prior meetings in the G1, with Tama’s only two prior wins coming last year for the NEVER Openweight title… and back in 2012 when EVIL was a Young Lion.
EVIL jumped Tama before the bell, letting go of a t-shirt choke to allow the bell to go… but Tama’s able to recover and take things outside as the camera just about caught Dick Togo beginning to loosen a corner pad. In the corner, Tama goes all Dusty Rhodes with a Bionic elbow after some mounted punches, before EVIL sidestepped and removed the corner pad as Tama ended up crashing and burning into the exposed corner. Back outside, EVIL suplexes Tama onto the ramp, then marched him around the crowd as Tama got thrown into the seating decks. EVIL rings the timekeeper’s bell as he claimed to have won by count-out – but the ref was nowhere near twenty. If anything, it caused Red Shoes Unno to reset the count, buying Tama more time to make it back into the ring.
Red Shoes refuses to count a pin as soon as Tama rolled back in, and that led to Tama mounting a comeback, scoring with elbows and a slam for good measure. The Stinger splash followed in the corner for a two-count, before EVIL tried to grab the referee to cause a distraction… that doesn’t work, so EVIL just hits a Fisherman suplex for a two-count, before taking an exaggerated spill onto the ref. With the ref down, we’ve got Dick Togo in to help EVIL put a beating on Tama, including helping on a Magic Killer that just about drew a one-count. A Darkness Scorpion followed, but Tama’s able to hand-walk his way to the ropes to force a break. An enziguiri stuns EVIL ahead of a spinebuster as Tama sprinted up top to land a Supreme Flow, drawing a near-fall out of it in the process.
EVIL’s pulled to the outside as Tama measured up for a Gun Stun… and now we’ve got duelling distractions from Gedo and Dick Togo. It led to Tama getting hung up in the ropes, before his crack at a Gun Stun was blocked as EVIL returned with a misdirection clothesline. Darkness Falls is next, but Tama kicks out at two, then got thrown into the exposed corner. Somehow, Tama fired back up to hit a clothesline, then a Gun Stun as Dick Togo charged the ring… a Bloody Sunday DDT nearly got Tama the win as we hit the final three minutes of the time limit… where EVIL again went to throw Tama into the exposed corner. Instead, we’ve shenanigans with the ref to mask a low blow, before Everything is EVIL ended things. Yeah, this wasn’t for me, and the subdued crowd – outside of the booing – underscored all that. **½
G1 Climax 33 – Block D: Jeff Cobb vs. Tetsuya Naito
We’ve only three prior meetings here, with Naito having won all of them – most recently in the quarter-final stage of last year’s New Japan Cup. It’s somewhat noticeable after two days (and four United Empire member matches), how they’re starting to downplay that group…
We head outside early on as both men took a taste of the guard rails, but it’s Naito who’s pulling ahead as he used a cravat to take Cobb into the corner. Returning, Cobb waffles Naito with a leaping dropkick, sending him outside ahead of a fake-out dive from the big man. Cobb’s having fun with Naito on the outside, before he stopped to wave on a stalling suplex back inside. Naito tries to fight back, but he’s charged into the corner as Cobb nailed his take on a Combinacion Cabron… as Naito offered very little in response. An attempted swinging DDT’s caught by Cobb, who tried to counter out… so Naito pulls the hair as he ended up landing a neckbreaker in return.
Naito finally begins to land some sustained offence, scoring with armdrags and elbows before a low dropkick caught Cobb. A Combinacion Cabron from Naito followed, as did a grounded full nelson with the legs, trapping Cobb in the middle of the ring… but Cobb managed to power his way free, only to get taken back down with some elbows. Heading up top, Naito’s top rope ‘rana’s caught and turned into an avalanche powerbomb, with Cobb’s standing moonsault adding to the mix for a two-count. A deadlift superplex looked to bring Naito back in from the apron, but it’s fought out of as Naito just about flew back in with some headscissors.
The swinging DDT’s next for Naito, who then went for Gloria… only for a Spin Cycle from Cobb to switch things back around. Just as I say that, Naito’s back in with a sorta-Destino, before a second one’s caught and turned into a Tour of the Islands. Cobb doesn’t have enough left in him to make the pin though, as a standing ten-count almost led to a finish. Naito’s back up to nail a Koppo kick, then a jack-knife roll-up for a near-fall, before he cradled his way out of another Tour of the Islands. Cobb manages to ragdoll Naito with a German suplex, but it’s shrugged off as Cobb charged back in with a headbutt, before a Tour of the Islands finally put Naito away. This was a little rough around the edges, but it’s a big win for Cobb as our opening weekend of upsets came to a close. ***½
Everyone’s had a match, so here’s the standings that of course I’ll screw up before the end of the tournament!
Block A
Kaito Kiyomiya, Chase Owens, SANADA (1-0 / 2pts)
Ren Narita, Shota Umino (0-0-1 / 1pt)
Hikuleo, Gabe Kidd, Yota Tsuji (0-1 / 0pts)
Block B
Tanga Loa, Kazuchika Okada, Taichi, YOSHI-HASHI (1-0 / 2pts)
KENTA, Great O-Khan, Will Ospreay, El Phantasmo (0-1 / 0pts)
Block C
EVIL, Daviid Finlay, Eddie Kingston, Mikey Nicholls (1-0 / 2pts)
Aaron Henare, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, Tama Tonga (0-1 / 0pts)
Block D
Jeff Cobb, Hirooki Goto, Shane Haste, Zack Sabre Jr. (1-0 / 2pts)
Alex Coughlin, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano (0-1 / 0pts)
Monday’s a night off for the G1 – but they pick up on Tuesday in Yamagata as I get a rare G1-on-my-birthday, with Kazuchika Okada and El Phantasmo headlining from block B.
While more consistent, night two of the G1 was a shade below the opening night, thanks in part to what sounded like a much more subdued crowd.