NJPW G1 Climax 32 Day 3 Review
TMDK (JONA and Bad Dude Tito) vs Team Filthy (Royce Isaacs and Tom Lawlor)
A preview of the fight between JONA and Lawlor at one of the tournament days. The fight lasted 8 minutes and 38 seconds, and the wrestlers made good use of their allotted time. We saw some teamwork from both tandems, but Team Filthy at times expectedly acted on the edge of the foul. The first bell rang when JONA caught Tom in a Boston crab, but Royce saved his partner, for which TMDK did a little work on him, which didn’t stop Team Filthy’s representative from tagging JONA with a powerful German suplex. After a Stinger Splash to Isaacs, JONA brought out a Samoan Drop on both competitors, which was very powerful. In the end, Royce got the Crown Senton, and then the Powerbomb, which gave JONAH and Tito the win.
A fairly basic, but quite likable team-up, which somehow got us to the match between JONA and Lawlor, albeit not in the best possible way, and Royce marked a couple of nice moments. Expectedly, one of those who are not in G1 was retained, and it was probably right that it was JONA who won, for he needs a momentum after Jano’s defeat.
United Empire (Will Osprey, Jeff Cobb, The Great O-Han and Aaron Herane) vs. Bullet Club (El Fantasmo, IWIL, SHO and Dick Togo)
The fight lasted 7 minutes and 52 seconds, this may have been a preview of the match between Henare and IVIL, but their meeting is actually still some time away. However, we are in for some number of UE and BC encounters for the foreseeable future. At the start, of course, “The Club” attacked their opponents at the most unexpected moment, and someone even beat someone outside the ring with a barricade of Empire’s representative with a timekicker performed by IVILA. Togo suffered from Cobb not feeling his attacks while conducting his maneuvers. In one episode, Will and ELP found themselves in a quadrangle, and perhaps the most striking episode of their cute but uncomplicated exchange of reverses was the Canadian’s “nipple twisting.” Otherwise, we watched a classic team match, quite similar to what we saw on Day 2. In the end, O-Han started doing Iron Claws to Dick Togo and SHO. SHO was sent out of the ring, and Dick Han was sent into the arms of Henare. He applied his Ultima (Full Nelson) and Togo “fell asleep”. After the final gong, O=Han once again “addressed the peasants”, telling them how UE would beat everyone at this Climax.
Another classic team match from the undercard of the House of Torture tournament show. Expectedly, United Empire won, as all of their representatives are in the tournament in this match, so none of them could be held back in the Teamster. Unlike Dick Togo.
CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada and YOSHI HASHI) vs. Toru Yano and Rehei Oiwa
Kazuchika and Toru will meet in a Block A match very soon, so despite being members of the same faction, Okada and Yano were on opposite teams here. One of the highlights of the bout was that Yano was extremely serious, and they even worked each other outside of the four-corner, with Toru launching “The Rainmaker” hard into the barricade. In the ring, though, we watched plus or minus the classic action on both sides, with Kazuchika making his mark with a couple of crowning attacks, HASHI giving Oiwa chops, and Yano showing a couple of his maneuvers to both of his opponents. In the end, Rehei got away from the teamwork, so Okada got a chop from Yoshi. The young Lion rolled YOSHI-HASHI up to 2 a couple of times, hitting an eventual Butterfly Lock from which Oiwa gave up just under 7 and a half minutes after the opening gong. Toru, on the other hand, attacked Kazuchika after the bell outside the ring, but now Jano was launched into the fence, then retreated before Okada got completely pissed.
It may not have been the toughest team fight of the tournament, but it was at least exactly what it was supposed to be, plus it pleased with some pretty episodes, like Oiva’s power work, HASHI’s hard chops, and yes, a couple of tough exchanges between Yano and Okada. As a preview of the Kazuchika vs. Toru match, this one works really well, as it’s clear to see that Jano is very serious, so it’s interesting to see them face off in the tournament. The loser of the match was predictably Oiwa, and that’s okay.
Bullet Club (KENTA, J. White and Juice Robinson) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Kosei Fujita
Preview of Saturday’s Main Event featuring Ishii and White. Gedo accompanied The Club. Before the match, Robinson took the microphone and reminded the audience once again that he was “solid as a rock” and generally “a true champion of the United States. When Tanahashi traditionally showed the audience his abs before the fight, White stood next to him to show that his abs were better. BC worked on Hiroshi for most of the starting stretch, resorting to occasional dirt like tackling “Ace” by the hair and that sort of thing. After giving White a dragon screw, Tana passed the tag to Ishii, who exchanged some nice punches and attacks with the world champion, then switched to KENTU and Kosei. The young lion wanted to prove himself, but the veteran wouldn’t let him. And while Tanahashi saved him from the Boston Crab, then held him to a Slingblade Robinson as well, after a little Parade of Moves, KENTA caught Fujita in Game Over, from which Kosei gave up. The fight lasted ten and a half minutes. Ishii and Jey fought hard at ringside while the match was over, and then they were finally separated, but the wrestlers (especially Tomohiro) were ready to continue.
Another solid tag team match with a predictable result, with the young lion losing and KENTA slightly “overmatched” after losing in a tournament match. Imho, White and Ishii were criminally short in the ring with each other, but they actually, given the backstory, don’t really need to push the tournament match very much through teammate interactions.
Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-Gun (Zack Saber Jr., Taichi and TAKA Michinoku)
Preview of Sunday’s match between SANADA and Taichi. They started the fight by playing with their chest muscles for a while. The fight was marked by both exchanges between Taichi and SANADOA, some nice work between Zack and Shingo who know each other very well, and exchanges between the welterweights BUSHI and TAKI. By about the five minute mark, SANADA had Michinoku in Paradise Lock, then exchanged low kicks with Taichi. Towards the end, TAKA ran several of SANADE’s attacks and went to Just Facelock a couple of times, but Seiya survived it all by getting away from Michinoku Driver and applying Skull End, from which Michinoku gave up at the 8 minute 17 second mark. Poor TAKA… After the fight, SANADA and Taichi had another chest game contest. Zack thought Taichi won (naturally, I’m sure Sabre likes Taichi’s chest more than many women’s breasts). Ryusuke Taguchi, who was present at the commentary panel awarded the victory to SANADA. The deciding vote (for some reason) went to Takagi, who predictably awarded the win to a fellow LIJ.
Another fairly basic but fun teamfight that had intrigue (for one teammate at a time was not participating in G1) and a couple of very cute little things. In the end, SANADA, as we’ve seen before on this show, at least partially “overcame” their loss to White by bringing their team a win here. Their match with Taichi on Sunday I’m looking forward to, despite the fact that somehow these two haven’t really exposed their feud with each other in this teamfest.
Yujiro Takahashi vs. David Finley – Block D match
Peter was accompanied by Takahashi, which is always a nice bonus. For Finley, it’s his G1 debut, as well as his first singles match with The Tokyo Pimp. Dave, by the way, got a new musical theme. Yujiro started working on his opponent’s shoulder, the latter reversed, but Takahashi, biting his opponent’s finger as usual, fought back, getting a series of more attacks almost immediately. Dropkick sent the Japanese out of the ring, but the American-Irishman’s plancha didn’t reach its target, and David was sent into the barricade. The wrestlers made it to the ramp and the House of Torture representative didn’t have a fisherman’s buster, but after a series of reversals, he held a DDT reversal to the floor. On his return to the quadrangle, Yujiro dominated a bit with classic attacks until Finley seized the moment for a non-combreaker. A variation of the Blue Thunder Bomb was the perfect setting for an uppercut in the corner, from which Takahashi rolled out of the ring, where he finally got a plancha. A classic Irish Curse Backbreaker brought David’s hold to 2, and Yujiro interrupted his next attack by attacking his opponent with the ropes. Takahashi got ready for a super fisherman buster, but Dave handled it with a sunset flip powerbomb from the corner to 2. Suddenly a SHO figure appeared on the apron and distracted Finley by foiling a Trash Panda attempt, allowing Yujiro to hold the Intercollegiate Slam to 2. SHO then also threw Takahashi’s cane into the ring, to which referee Marty Asami was distracted, and let a low blow to Yugiro’s opponent. Pimp Juice followed, but David pulled out. Blocking Big Juice, David held Prima Nocta, but only to 2, and an exchange of finisher reversals ended with an O’Connor roll from Finley… Takahashi broke free, directing his vis-a-vis to the ropes, where SHO whipped Finley in the head with a wrench. Big Juice followed, and Yujiro picked up his first win of the tournament a full 13 minutes after the opening bell, marking it with a SHO and, naturally, Peter.
Takahashi dominating you a lot, and beating you, is one of the worst choices for a G1 Climax debut, even if you’re trying to rock like Finley did in this match. All in all, I’m sure a lot of people were expecting some sort of David reprise here, and got a classic from House of Torture. I wouldn’t call it a disappointment, as we should have known it was going to be that way, but we wanted more. And if I can somehow justify the victories of Yano and Henare on the previous days, here I can’t see any reason at all why Eugiro should win. Yes, Dave was at least somehow “protected” because he lost dirty, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
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