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For the final time with the A-Block, I present to you the usual quick primer!
G1 Climax is a yearly 19-night tournament held by NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) to determine the most tenacious member of the roster. For the first time, all of the events will be available legally outside of Japan without a time delay via the NJPWWorld streaming service and with a delay on AXS TV.
There are two blocks with 10 fighters per block. Each fighter will have a match with every other fighter in their block, and they are awarded 2 points for a win, 1 for a draw, and none for a loss.
The highest scoring fighter from each block will face off at the Finale. Night 16 was and a B-Block night, opening as usual with 4 short feature tag matches featuring the A-Block competitors. I'll cover those matches briefly at the beginning of this results article.
Let's wrap up the A-Block and find out who's going to be fighting for the A-Block and a shot at the IWJP Heavyweight Championship in the G1 Climax Finals!
Ren Narita and Juice Robinson vs. Shota Umino and Jon Moxley
Every match with Umino and Moxley is used to further both men's characters. This tournament has been a delight due to the surprising strength of Umino's story in Moxley's narrative! They faced one of the strongest fighters among the young lions of the tournament, Ren Narita, and Moxley's Night 18 opponent, Juice Robinson. Kenta Sato refereed.
The veterans Moxley and Robinson traded chest slaps before Moxley was cornered and slammed. When they clotheslined each other and still stood, that set the tone for the entire match. Moxley attacked Robinson's tender knee and they both tagged in their young lion partners.
Narita was the better wrestler of the two, and he was able to land a belly-to-belly suplex. Umino quickly hauled Narita up during the first moment he could. He set up a heart attack move with Moxley and pinned Narita immediately following.
Mox and Robinson continued to brawl inside the ring when Moxley put Robinson into a figure-four leg lock.
Results: Shota Umino and Jon Moxley def. Ren Narita and Juice Robinson via count-out
Tomoaki Honma and Toru Yano vs. Toa Henare and Jeff Cobb
Would Henare and Cobb end up Yano'd? That means they'd get cheated out of their victory by the shenanigans of Yano, a very common occurrence in the G1.
Hey look! It's Honma! (That's a silly repeating joke from the commentary team, steal it and have fun!) I'm really enjoying the raspy-voiced occasionally masked man's performances. He and Henare grappled in the center of the ring and bounced around the ropes until Henare knocked Honma on his back. Honma met that with a slam but he failed his Kokeshi finishing move.
Henare tagged Cobb in, and the suplex specialist came for Honma mercilessly. Henare showed that Honma could take an extraordinary amount of damage and still fight back! Cobb and Yano tagged in, and Yano didn't hesitate to loosen a ringpost cover for future use.
Once the cover was off, Yano felt the exposed turnbuckle in a bad way but he tried to sneak a roll-up on Cobb. Honma tagged in and was successful at his Kokeshi move! Cobb landed his Spin Cycle finishing move but couldn't keep Honma down. Cobb's Tour of the Islands finisher did, however, take the victory from Honma's team.
Results: Toa Henare and Jeff Cobb def. Tomoaki Honma and Toru Yano
Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, and Taichi) vs. CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, and Tomohiro Ishii)
Suzuki-gun faction was ready for war against the dramatic and cool CHAOS faction in the third exhibition tag match on Night 17. The two teams went after each other before the bell rang, and Goto attempted the first pinfall against Kanemaru.
Suzuki and Taichi attacked Ishii and YH relentlessly as well as a few young lion ring attendants, before Kanemaru managed to tag Taichi in. Goto tagged Ishii in as well.
Taichi the Dark Emperor was a cruel and cocky opponent, but Ishii came at him like a tank with unlimited capacity to absorb damage. They both had a moment when they could tag out, and they both did.
Suzuki and YH were next, and Goto held Suziki back for a dropkick from YH. It tendered Suzuki up greatly but he completed a Dutch-style piledriver that looked like it ruined YH's entire life. Suzuki picked up the pinfall victory.
Results: Suzuki-Gun (Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Minoru Suzuki, and Taichi) def. CHAOS (YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto, and Tomohiro Ishii) via pinfall
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito) vs. Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Jay White)
Bullet Club came ready to cheat, lie, and steal their way to victory, and the beautiful Tokyo Pimp bunny, PIETER, accompanied them. However, the crowd turned their love and adoration to LIJ's members. Naito and White will fight for the B-Block's top spot tomorrow.
Owens, the hard-working gambit of Bullet Club, and BUSHI, the masked man, began the match with a strong start from Owens. BUSHI went high, but White knocked him down from outside the ring.
When White tagged in, he taunted BUSHI before Takahashi, the Tokyo Pimp, began to slam BUSHI's face into the ring post. Owens took over for Takahashi and attempted a pinfall. BUSHI was able to rally by throwing Owens and Takahashi into each other.
'Destino' Naito and 'Switchblade' White tagged in, and the crowd chanted loudly for their Tranquilo hero. The energy pushed Naito to complete a combination move set in the corner, but it didn't take enough out of White.
A swing DDT from the top rope forced Takahashi to take over for White; Naito's space grew and he tagged Takagi in. Both men are excellent ground grapplers and they did just that until their teammates began tagging in quick succession. Once Takahashi and Takagi were back in the Ring, Takagi hit his finisher and showed Takahashi who the stronger man was.
Results: Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi, and Tetsuya Naito) def. Bullet Club (Chase Owens, Yujiro Takahashi, and Jay White) via pinfall
The A-Block Night 17 matches followed.
EVIL (8) vs. Lance Archer (4)
Archer is terrifying now. The American Psycho is captivating in his savagery, and it must be seen to be believed. He was feeling extra feisty during his entrance and plowed through every young lion he saw just to show that he could. His red 'murderhawk' hairstyle was brided tonight, and I'm just not sure how I feel about it.
The King of Darkness, EVIL, entered the ring to the sound of church bells and electric guitars. His fans were armed with tiny LED scythes to match his own, and it was honestly adorable to see their devotion. A note from the commentators: Archer broke EVIL's orbital bone in 2018.
Archer and EVIL shone outside the ring, and Archer flipped from the ring apron to beautifully take EVIL and a gaggle of young lions down. Archer soon gained temporary control of a ring pad, and EVIL absorbed two throws into the exposed turnbuckle.
EVIL didn't stay down after that, and for his trouble, Archer took his elbow to EVIL's face. He attempted a flip back onto EVIL in the ring, but EVIL rolled out of the drop zone and recovered.
Archer found himself knocked into the corner and ended up on his knees after a bronco buster from EVIL. They attempted to throw each other, and Archer connected with a lariat.
When Archer went high, so did EVIL, and he foiled Archer with a top rope superplex. How Archer kicked out of the pinfall attempt directly after is a complete mystery. EVIL used the ref to tangle up EVIL, and Archer put EVIL into the mat with a Disarmer.
The ref was out of the ring and Archer took advantage of that by setting up a chair in the corner for EVIL. EVIL was just alive enough to send Archer into that chair and hit a rope-assisted Magic Killer. Archer chokeslammed EVIL, and neither men were awarded their respective pinfalls.
Archer delivers great suplexes and his F5 was no exception. He shoved his claw into EVIL's face and refused to let go, even after that finisher gained him the victory over
Results: Lance Archer (6) def. EVIL (8) via pinfall
SANADA (8) vs. Bad Luck Fale (6)
Jado and Owens, Bad Luck Fale's Bullet Club brothers, accompanied him to the ring so you know the kendo stick would be involved. SANADA's G1 has been filled with strong impressive performances, and though he couldn't win the A-Block, he could put in one last great match in this tournament.
Owens distracted SANADA and Fale took advantage of the opportunity to smack him in the back. Jado did the same to SANADA's back with his kendo stick and it softened SANADA up just enough.
Fale rolled SANADA out of the ring and strangled him with the announcers' microphone cords until the ref had to step in. Fale relented and rolled SANADA back in the ring to stand on him for a 5-count. The men grappled until Fale put SANADA into a neck-focused hold but SANADA hooked his leg onto the bottom rope with haste.
SANADA and Fale traded suplex attempts, and Fale came out dominant without much trouble at all. The momentum continued through a long audience chant, and Fale rewarded their SANADA love with a body slam.
A knee focused dropkick and a throw put Fale into the arena floor, and SANADA threw (literally threw) himself after all of the assembled Bullet Club members in his attempt to take the win by count-out. Fale came back in at the last minute to put in a pinfall. He didn't succeed, even after a Grenade slam move. SANADA wiggled out of Fale's Bad Luck Fall finisher to bodyslam the massive Fale. He set up his TKO finisher and connected, but Fale got that shoulder up.
SANADA locked Fale into a hold and submitted him, but Bullet Club pulled the ref out of the ring. SANADA prevailed by bending Owens and Jado into paradise locks to keep them busy.
A moonsault from SANADA sadly didn't put him in a strong enough position to complete his Skull End finisher, but it did put him in position to be rolled up and lose his final G1 match.
Results: Bad Luck Fale (8) def. SANADA (8) via pinfall
KENTA (8) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (6)
KENTA is a kick-focused striker, and ZSJ is a submission specialist. These two have a complicated history as ZSJ was KENTA's junior during training, so the match wasn't just for points. It was for pride. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
The bell rang and the men began grappling, trading hold attempts that felt surprisingly equal. ZSJ pushed KENTA into the ropes and taunted him as their hold was cleanly broken: "Senpai!" He called to his mentor.
KENTA's kicks and knee strikes remained hidden away as he forced ZSJ into a trading of blows. ZSJ quickly met the mat multiple times because he couldn't access his own special move set at striking distance.
ZSJ gained some momentum once KENTA got closer for a submission hold, but again KENTA's strength prevailed. KENTA's tender left arm came to ZSJ's attention, and once he was able to put his holds in to trap KENTA's legs and torture his arms.
The hold broke when KENTA rolled upwards, and he began his kicks again. ZSJ didn't allow that to continue for even a minute, putting KENTA's whole body in different quick holds to attempt a pinfall. The stamina ZSJ kept meant that KENTA's moves became more predictable.
That predictability dissolved when KENTA slammed ZSJ into the mat, and he threw himself into a clothesline from the ropes to nearly pin ZSJ. As they separated into opposite corners, KENTA took the space initially but ZSJ closed the gap with brutal holds. KENTA's ring awareness caused him to roll over within the hold and find the bottom rope for the break.
ZSJ tortured KENTA's arm while receiving chops and kicks from him, and KENTA finally broke the hold with a chop to the throat. The exhausted duo fought on their knees as they struggled to their feet. ZSJ gave KENTA a kick combination to deliver a bit of his own medicine, but in moments, KENTA was on the top rope with a stomp.
KENTA began to set up for the Go To Sleep (GTS) finisher, and he didn't lose the advantage even as he survived a pinfall attempt. He locked in his Game Over face hold but ZSJ had little trouble breaking the hold once his hand touched the bottom rope.
KENTA couldn't finish his GTS, as ZSJ wrapped himself around KENTA and forced him to submit; Unno had to call it as KENTA's arms and hands were too involved for him to physically tap.
Results: Zack Sabre Jr. (8) def. KENTA (8) via submission
Hiroshi Tanahashi (8) vs. Will Ospreay (6)
The Aerial Assassin Ospreay and the Ace Tanahashi are both top guys in NJPW, and the audience was hyped up for their bout! The commentators called this a dream match, and I personally agree. Then again, the commentators called Tanahashi's performance during this tournament as 'disappointing' (it wasn't, it's been very bright), so give all of this only so much weight! Red Shoes Unno refereed.
Every audience member cheered for their favourite without hesitation, and the energy fed these two men in a meaningful way. When they found the ropes, they broke cleanly before locking up with honour and respect. Their test of strength had Ospreay bent backward over Tanahashi's leg in a stunning display as he fought his way up.
Watching these two men grapple is a masterclass in classic, crowd-driven acrobatics. "Go Ace!" and "Ospreay" chants from the audience filled the arena in equal measure. Ospreay wanted to go high but a dragon screw leg whip put him down. Once Ospreay was down, Tanahashi locked him into a leg lock.
Ospreay forced his way up, and Tanahashi locked Ospreay's legs up in a beautiful bridge hold. Ospreay nearly didn't find the bottom rope. Once he had a little space, he met Tanahashi blow for blow in the middle of the ring. Tanahashi kept his offense focused on Ospreay's tender knee, but every time he had a real edge, it dissolved in the face of Ospreay's speed.
Ospreay's knee began to really show some weakness when Tanahashi tangled him in the ropes. He still made an opening big enough to fly over the top rope and slam Tanahashi into the arena floor. Ospreay rolled the Ace back into the ring for a standing shooting star press and a pinfall attempt.
A top rope 61i-Pip Pip Cheerio combination from Ospreay only got him into position for Tanahashi to damage Ospreay's knee more with a cloverleaf hold. Ospreay managed an enziguri, but Tanahashi gave him a dragon screw leg whip again as well as putting him into a full cloverleaf hold.
Ospreay refused to submit, and the pain Tanahashi wrought on Ospreay's knee drove him to grab the bottom rope with gusto and break the hold. He fought his way to the setup for his OsCutter finisher, and Tanahashi sidestepped him to put him down for a 2-count. He did it again with a bridge suplex shortly after, still unable to gain that third hand on the mat.
Ospreay's shooting star press from the top was the first thing he did when he got free, and his OsCutter attack connected. Tanahashi reversed Ospreay's Stormbreaker move and hit him with a slingblade. It meant the Ace could go high, knocking down Ospreay for another 2-count. A hook kick to the mouth from Ospreay ended that quickly, and he didn't go for the pin immediately.
Tanahashi was hauled up in Ospreay's shoulders, and the Aerial Assassin threw him into the Stormbreaker to finish his first G1 with 8 points.
Results: Will Ospreay (8) def. Tanahashi (8) via pinfall
Kazuchika Okada (12) vs. Koto Ibushi (14)
This match between the Rainmaker Okada and the Golden Star Ibushi was the most important match of the night; it would determine the winner of the A-block. Okada had the numbers on his side, but Ibushi has won several G1 Climax blocks. As the men entered, Ibushi looked almost worried. Okada seemed measured as well as he came down the ramp and fist-bumped commentator Rocky Romero. No matter if he won the tournament or not, he was already the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion; the G1 Climax determines who will challenge for that title at Wrestle Kingdom, NJPW's biggest show of the year. No matter who won the G1 Climax this year, Okada would perform at WK. Red Shoes Unno refereed.
The crowd worked itself into a lather the second the bell rang, and Ibushi looked deeply grateful. Okada was cocky, but that was nothing new. They grappled classically and led the fight into Okada's powerful leg locks. He didn't want to let Ibushi have any space.
That attitude didn't serve him for long, and Ibushi found time to soak in more of the crowd's delight. Okada quickly pushed Ibushi into the ropes and into a clean break. Unno stopped Okada from being nasty, and Ibushi came forward to honourably face Okada as a striker in the middle of the ring. Ibushi's beautiful dropkick put Okada on his knees before Ibushi, who dragged him into the corners and sidestepped Okada's dropkick, only to find himself dizzy and on his back outside of the ring.
Okada came out to deliver more pain to Ibushi with a DDT into the floor mats, and Unno had to check if Ibushi was fit to continue. Ibushi was cleared and beat the 20-count to get back in the ring. Okada waited for him and translated that moment of respite into a savage offense that included a textbook baseball sliding dropkick.
A facelock from Okada wore away at Ibushi's capacity, and Ibushi didn't have much advantage as he fought free. Ibushi whipped Okada onto his back with his legs on the Rainmaker's neck, and he drew Okada back up for a kick combination and a moonsault. Okada's shoulder pushed its way up to beat the count at 2.
Okada made his way outside of the ropes, and Ibushi flew over the ropes to smack Okada onto the ground. Ibushi began to limp a little more, and Okada got back into the ring as well as back into the groove of the match. He delivered a rough kick and another perfect DDT, and his pinfall attempt failed.
A blind mid-kick from Ibushi to Okada's bicep kept the Rainmaker's Rainmaker finisher at bay for the moment, and the men traded elbow blows to the face until Okada made Ibushi buckle with an uppercut. Okada faked Ibushi out and powerslammed him before climbing to the top rope. The flip didn't land the way Ibushi wanted as Okada's knees met Ibushi's aching abdomen.
Okada bodyslammed Ibushi but it didn't stop them from tangling on the top rope, breaking each others' grips until Ibushi made a super rana connect from that same rope. He paid Okada back for the earlier powerslam with one of the same, and the gamble went Okada's way eventually. He tossed Ibushi backward in a heavy German suplex, and they finished a combination that led to a dropkick from Okada.
Okada wanted to put his Tombstone Piledriver onto the heap of damage he'd laid on Ibushi, but an impressive reversal saw Okada's head hit hard. Ibushi dragged him up by his bleach-blond mop of hair, and he laid into him until Okada rallied. Perhaps rallied was the wrong word; they rested their shoulders on each other out of necessity until they could get to their feet.
A shotgun dropkick and a lariat that made a thunderous crack put Ibushi in the painful position of possibly winning, but Okada was more sly and flexible. He gained control of Ibushi's wrist and elbow, delivering two Rainmakers before Ibushi got a straightjacket suplex in. Okada dropkicked Ibushi and Ibushi piledrove the Rainmaker.
Ibushi went to the ropes and yelled Nakamura's YEEOH phrase, but both of his kamagoye finisher attempts failed spectacularly. A jumping knee to the face didn't fail, so his third kamagoye didn't either. A fourth put Okada away, the officials determined that his performance broke their point tie, and Ibushi became the A-Block champion.
It wasn't a quick victory, but it was an emotional journey, much like the G1 Climax itself. It's almost done, so come join me tomorrow and Monday for the B-Block and the Final to see who Ibushi will face and how the G1 comes to a close!
Results: Kota Ibushi (12/tiebreaker) def. Kazuchika Okada (12)
See you tomorrow night!
