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Welcome to PWInsider.com’s coverage of Night Two of the G1 Special in the USA from Long Beach, California. Tonight’s show airs live on the New Japan World Streaming Service and will air on Friday night at 8:00 PM Eastern.
Last night, the first round of the IWGP United States Title Tournament was held along with title defenses of the IWGP Championship and the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles.
Will Kenny Omega, Tomohiro Ishii, Jay Lethal, or Zack Sabre Jr. be the first man to claim the IWGP United States Championship.
Match Number One: David Finlay, KUSHIDA, and Jushin “Thunder” Liger versus Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu, and Yoshitatsu
Everyone gets the crowd to try to react to them, and KUSHIDA puts the referee on the turnbuckles and he gets a good reaction from the crowd.
Yoshitatsu and Finlay start things off. They locku p and Yoshitatsu with a waist lock but Finlay with a wrist lock. Yoshi with a reversal. Finlay with a side head lock but Yoshi with a head scissors and Finlay escapes. Komatsu and Liger tag in and they lock up. Liger with a side head lock and single leg take down into a rocking chair. Liger with a side head lock and a shoulder tackle. Komatsu with a hip toss but Liger sends Komatsu over the top rope to the floor. KUSHIDA holds Komatsu and Liger with a baseball slide to Komatsu that sends him into the guardrails.
They return to the ring and Liger sets for the surfboard. Yoshi and Tanaka break it up and Yoshi kicks Liger. Liger is Irish whipped into the corner and Tanaka with a forearm and Komatsu with a knee. Yoshi with a splash. Komatsu gets a near fall. Komatsu with a reverse chin lock on Liger. Tanaka tags in and he kicks Liger. Liger sends Tanana into Komatsu and Liger with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker to Tanaka and a rana to Komatsu.
KUSHIDA tags in and he connects with forearms and follows with a hip toss and cartwheel into a drop kick. Yoshi kicks KUSHIDA and KUSHIDA with a handspring double back elbow. KUSHIDA with a flip dive onto Komatsu and Tanaka. KUSHIDA misses a kick to the arm and then he floats over to try for the Hoverboard Lock on Tanaka. KUSHIDA with a body scissors but Tanaka with a gutwrench and then Tanaka and Komatsu hit a running flatliner combination for a near fall. Tanaka tries for a package piledriver but KUSHIDA escapes. KUSHIDA with a kick to the head but Tanaka with a forearm. KUSHIDA with a Pele Kick and he goes for a handspring back elbow but Tanaka catches him and hits a German suplex.
Finlay and Yoshi tag in and Yoshi with a springboard drop kick and kicks to Finlay followed by a power slam. Yoshi goes up top and Finlay avoids him. FInlay with a drop kick and he hits a running back elbow or two. Finlay with a running European uppercut for a near fall. Finlay gets Yoshi on his shoulders but Yoshi escapes. Yoshi with a pop up knee to the head but KUSHIDA and Liger break it up.
Yoshi signals for the Pedigree but Finlay escapes and he hits a uranage back breaker for a near fall. Finlay with a Stretch Muffler and Liger with a surfboard on Komatsu while KUSHIDA applies the Hoverboard Lock and Yoshi taps out.
Winners: KUSHIDA, Jushin Liger, and David Finlay
Match Number Two: IWGP United States Title Tournament Semifinal: Jay Lethal versus Kenny Omega
They lock up and Omega with a clean break, but it was a ruse and Omega hits Lethal in his taped up ribs. Omega runs Lethal into the apron and guardrails. Omega sends Lethal back into the ring and Omega goes up top but misses a cross body. Lethal runs into the corner and Omega flips over him and Omega tries for One Winged Angel but Lethal escapes and hits a super kick. Lethal sets for Lethal Injection but Omega avoids it. Lethal with two more super kicks and he hits Lethal Injection but Omega rolls to the floor. Lethal with a suicide dive. Lethal with a second suicide dive. Lethal hits a third suicide dive.
Lethal goes up top and hits the elbow drop but he can only get a near fall. Lethal with a figure four leg lock. Omega tries to pulls Lethal's leg off but Lethal reapplies the hold and he leans back to add more pressure. Omega gets to the ropes. Lethal kicks Omega in the leg. Lethal kicks Omega in the leg again and then he hits an atomic drop on the leg. Lethal gets a near fall.
Lethal continues to work on the leg with more kicks. Omega with a sunset flip but Lethal rolls through and hits a dragon screw leg whip. Lethal goes for Lethal Injection again and Omega with a lungblower. Omega holds his leg while Lethal is down in the center of the ring. Omega with a punch to the injured ribs. Omega with a forearm to the injured ribs. Omega with a second forearm to the kidneys. Omega kicks Lethal in the back and then he pulls the tape off the ribs and punches and knees the ribs. Omega gets a near fall.
Lethal with chops to Omega but Omega with a knee to the midsection. Omega with a bow and arrow on Lethal but Lethal is able to get a lateral press for a near fall. Omega with forearms to the back followed by a chop. Omega with another chop. Lethal punches Omega and chops him. Omega with a drop kick to the knee and then he kicks Lethal in the ribs. Omega goes for a leaping Fameasser but Lethal escapes and hits a belly-to-back suplex.
Omega has a kick blocked and Lethal drop kicks the knee. Lethal calls for the Lethal injection but Omega stops him and hits a Dragon suplex. Omega with a fisherman buster onto the knee. Lethal with a bicycle kick. Omega with a jumping knee. Lethal with forearms but Omega with a knee. Omega with a Shining Wizard for a near fall. Lethal tries for a figure four but Omega with an inside cradle. Omega sets for a dead lift into a Doctor Bomb and he gets a near fall.
Omega with a running knee to the head. Omega gets Lethal on his shoulders for One Winged Angel but Lethal tries to counter into a rana. Omega pulls Lethal back up and hits One Winged Angel for the three count.
Winner: Kenny Omega
Match Number Three: IWGP United States Title Tournament Semifinal: Tomohiro Ishii versus Zack Sabre Jr.
They jockey for position and then Sabre with a European uppercut or two. Ishii is not impressed and he responds with a forearm that sends Sabre to the mat. Sabre with three more European uppercuts that don't move Ishii much but Ishii with a forearm and Sabre is down again. Sabre with more European uppercuts and a head butt, but Sabre is staggered. Ishii with a head butt and Sabre is down again. Ishii chops Sabre in the corner. Ishii slaps Sabre in the head and then he chops him in the corner.
Ishii kicks Sabre and connects with a forearm. Sabre starts to work on the arm and he applies a figure four arm bar. Sabre with a Fujiwara arm bar and then he turns it into a hammer lock using his leg and he works on Ishii's ankle. Sabre kicks Ishii in the injured arm. Sabre with more kicks and Ishii spits in Sabre's face. Sabre has a kick blocked and Ishii with a head butt to send Sabre to the mat. Ishii with a clothesline in the corner. Sabre with an Irish whip and Ishii with an elbow.
Ishii puts Sabre on the turnbuckles. Sabre goes for an arm bar and he twists the hand back into a hammer lock for a moment before straightening out the arm. Ishii stops Sabre and Ishii with a head butt and it staggers Sabre. Ishii with a delayed superplex and he gets a near fall. Sabre with a round kick and European uppercut. Sabre with a Northern Lights suplex and he rolls through into a figure four arm bar and then he rolls through but it allows Ishii to get to the ropes.
Sabre with a wrist lock and he turns the hand in an unnatural position but Ishii with a Saito suplex and both men are down. Ishii tries for a power bomb but Sabre goes for the arm. Sabre bridges and gets a near fall. Sabre with a Pele kick to the arm and then Ishii with a head butt to the chest. Ishii goes for a Sliding D but Sabre was playing possum and he applies an arm bar with a head scissors and he grabs the leg and Ishii tries to get to the ropes. Sabre grabs the arm inches from the rope but Ishii gets his feet on the ropes. Sabre is forced to release the hold.
Sabre with a kick to the shoulder. Sabre with another kick. Ishii gets back to his feet and he blocks kicks and connects with a forearm that knocks Sabre to the mat. Ishii with forearms but Sabre leaps into the kimura wtih a body scissors. Sabre with a European uppercut followed by a kick but Ishii with a clothesline and a brainbuster for the three count.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii
Coverage Continues on Next Page
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