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8/7 NJPW G1 CLIMAX REPORT FROM OSAKA, JAPAN

From Osaka, Japan:

1 -  Yuto Nakashima, David Finlay, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Toru Yano and Hirooki Goto

YOSHI-HASHI forces Nakashima to tap out  to the Butterfly Lock.

2 - Jado and Tama Tonga vs. SHO and Yujiro Takahashi

Yujiro pins Jado after hitting Pimp Juice.

3 - BUSHI, SANADA, Shingo Takagi and Tetsuya Naito vs. TAKA Michinoku, Taichi, Zack Sabre, Jr. and Lance Archer

BUSHI pins TAKA atfter an MX.

4 - Great O-Khan, Jeff Cobb and Will Ospreay vs. Gedo, KENTA and Jay White

Ospreay grabs the World Title belt as White enters the ring.  They get in each other’s faces.   Great heat between them.  

Cobb and O-Khan tossed Gedo to each other.  They argued about who would finish him off.  O-Khan slams Gedo. Cobb with a standing moonsault.  O-Khan applies a Sheep Killer on Gedo.

Gedo taps out.

White and Ospreay have heated words after the match.  They could be teasing a future match.  New Japan has kept them apart over the last few years with White building Bullet Club and Ospreay developing United Empire.  Their match should be something special.

G1 Climax Matches:

5 - C Block: Aaron Henare vs. EVIL

EVIL pushes Henare into the referee.  Togo tries to bring a chair in the ring.  Henare punches him in the gut.  Henare puts Ultima on Togo and throws him from the ring.  EVIL hits Henare with a chair.  EVIL hits Everything is Evil.

EVIL pins Henare.

EVIL earns 2 points and is tied for second place in the C Block.  Henare is eliminated from winning the C Block.

6 -  A Block:  Tom Lawlor vs. Bad Luck Fale

The crowd is clapping for Lawlor.  He is over in Japan.  

Fale takes him to the floor.  He rips the guardrails  off and buries Lawlor.  Isaacs helps Lawlor and he beats the count out.  Fale uses his power to overwhelm Lawlor.  Fale hit a spear and goes for a Hand Grenade.  Lawlor counters and goes for an ankle lock.   Lawlor gets a rear naked choke and tries to take down Fale.  Fale hits a lariat and drops an elbow.  Fale hits the Hand Grenade.  Lawlor kicks out!

Fale goes for a Bad Luck Fall but Lawlor reverses into a sleeper and a DDT.  Lawlor takes out Fale at the knee and hits a Shining Wizard.  Lawlor hits the NKOTB.

Lawlor pins Fale.

Tom Lawlor earns 2 points and 4 points total.

Wow!  Lawlor wins!  He took a beating from Fale but the crowd was behind the Filthy One.  This is building towards an important match between Lawlor and Okada on Wednesday.

7 - D Block:  Juice Robinson vs. El Phantasmo

They started making fun of the referee.   They started wrestling in slow motion and being silly.  ELP tried to school boy Juice with his feet on the ropes.  Juice rolls up ELP with a handful of tights.  Juice and ELP argue.  They challenge each other to an arm wrestling match.  Juice throws a chair in his face.   Juice hits a piledriver on the ramp.  ELP is almost counted out.   ELP hits a tope suicida.   ELP slams Juice’s head into a table.  ELP puts his head through a table.  Juice is busted open.   ELP does a rope walk and changes his mind and hits a plancha.  ELP hits a Styles Clash.  Two count.  Juice hits a right punch.  ELP with Sudden Death.  Juice kicks out.  Juice hits a headbutt in the crotch.  Juice with a Left Hand of God and Pulp Friction.  ELP kicks out.  Juice brings a chair in the ring.  ELP throws the chair at Juice.   ELP is disqualified.

Juice wins and earned 2 points.

The match was silly at the start but it became what it was supposed to be:  a good match between two great wrestlers.   Neither man will be in the finals but they made it entertaining.

8 - B Block:  Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chase Owens

Owens attacked Ishii’s knee.  Owens chopped a ring post when Ishii moved.  Owens hit a sunset bomb, sending Ishii’s head into the guardrail.  Brutal stiff match.  They hit each other with wicked shots.  Owens hits two C-Triggers and a Package Piledriver.

Owens pins Ishii.

Wow, great match!  My recap does not do this match justice.  Too much good stuff in this match.  Please check it out on New Japan World. Despite both men being out of Block contention, they still tore it up in the ring.    

9 - A Block: Kazuchika Okada vs. JONAH

JONAH uses his power to keep Okada on the mat.  Okada goes to the floor and tries to attack

JONAH’s leg.   Okada tries a suplex but JONAH hits a standing splash.  Okada is thrown against guardrails and the ring apron.   Okada beats the count and JONAH stomps on Okada’s chest and gut.   JONAH with a bear hug.   Okada goes back to the floor and hits a DDT.   Okada is selling his lower back.  Okada applies the Money Clip.  JONAH powers out. Okada hits a drop kick.  JONAH with an avalanche from the second rope and a lariat.  Two count.   Okada hits a drop kick and he slams JONAH.  Okada with a top rope elbow.    Okada misses a Rainmaker and they exchange reversals. JONAH with a lariat.  Two count. Okada comes off the ropes with a drop kick but JONAH catches him and power bombs him.  JONAH hits a huge Black Forest Bomb.  JONAH  squashes Okada with a Torpedo.  Massive pop from the crowd!

JONAH pins Okada!

Holy Crap!  JONAH just beat Okada in the main event.  The reaction from the crowd was loud.  Chris Chalrton said there were mixed reactions and Okada supporters were walking out.  He compares it to Vader beating Antonio Inoki in 1987.

JONAH is now tied with Okada at the top of the A Block.   

I am stunned.  I never thought Okada would lose.  They put over JONAH huge and Okada did the job.  JONAH is being set up as the new Big Van Vader.  I hope this leads to more New Japan Strong wrestlers at Wrestle Kingdom or in Japan in general.  

At this point in the G1 Climax, I am happy for all new additions to the roster.  JONAH, Lawlor, Tito, and Isaacs have been awesome.  Newcomers to the G1 like El Phantasmo, David Finlay and Aaron Henare have had memorable performances.  They are getting banged up

but nothing like a terrible injury or COVID.  I expect more surprises as we head to the G1 Finals. 

A BLOCK	Record	Current Point Standings
Kazuchika Okada	3-1	6
JONAH	3-1	6
Toru Yano	1-4	2*
Lance Archer	2-2	4
Tom Lawlor	2-2	4
Jeff Cobb	2-2	4
Bad Luck Fale	2-3	4
B BLOCK	Record	Current Point Standings
Jay White	4-0	8
Tomohiro Ishii	1-4	2*
Tama Tonga	2-1	4
Taichi	2-1	4
SANADA	2-2	4
Great O-Khan	1-3	2*
Chase Owens	2-3	4*
C BLOCK	Record	Current Point Standings
Hiroshi Tanahashi	3-1	6
Hirooki Goto	2-2	4
Tetsuya Naito	2-2	4
Aaron Henare	1-4	2*
EVIL	2-2	4
KENTA	1-2	2
Zack Sabre Jr.	3-1	6
D BLOCK	Record	Current Point Standings
Will Ospreay	2-2	4
Shingo Takagi	2-2	4
Juice Robinson	2-3	4
Yujiro Takahashi	2-2	4
YOSHI-HASHI	2-1	4
David Finlay	3-1	6
El Phantasmo	1-3	2

*mathematically eliminated 

Thank you for reading.

 

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