Uncrewed Posted April 16, 2023 Author Share Posted April 16, 2023 (edited) NJPW G1 Climax Night Fourteen- August 8th, 2023Attendance: 5,000 at Hiroshima Sun Plaza (Hiroshima, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -CHAOS's YOH & Robbie Eagles defeated young lions Ryohei Oiwa & Yuto Nakashima in a decent match to kick things off tonight in Hiroshima. YOH was still angry about everything going on with SHO & the demons, so he took that aggression out on the young lions tonight. YOH eventually finished things off after hitting Nakashima with his new finisher, the Direct Drive (Double Underhook Brainbuster). (68/C+) Afterwards, YOH grabbed a microphone and called out the demons, saying that he's had enough of AKUMA and whatever his green-masked friend is named. Before YOH could continue... The demons appeared in the ring! Instead of attacking YOH, AKUMA grabbed a microphone and a demonic voice played over the arena. AKUMA said that if YOH wanted to get revenge on him & the fellow masked man (who AKUMA called AKUJIN), then the only way to do so would be to meet them at the Nippon Budokan on August 17th at the G1 Climax Final! YOH accepted and tried attacking the demons, but the lights went back out and when they came back on, the demons were nowhere to be seen.-Block D Match: Great O-Khan defeated Taichi in a good match. Taichi's poor G1 Climax run continued tonight in Hiroshima, with a poor performance against Khan. Khan, fresh off of a huge win over Shinsuke Nakamura, dominated Taichi for most of this contest, with Taichi only really getting any offense in with some well-timed cheap shots. Taichi tried to take full control with a spin kick, but Khan caught him, lifted him high in the air, and hit him with a powerbomb! Khan then picked up Taichi and hit him with the Eliminator to get the win. (82/B)-Block B Match: JONAH defeated Karl Fredericks in a good match. This one was your usual JONAH G1 Climax affair, with the big Australian using his immense power to take control over Fredericks for most of this near-18 minute affair. However, Fredericks was able to fire back this time, taking down JONAH by targeting his legs. Fredericks was even able to hit the big man with a German suplex, which got the Hiroshima crowd on fire! However, when Fredericks tried finishing off JONAH with the Manifest Destiny, JONAH was able to reverse it into a northern lights suplex. JONAH then ascended to the top rope and hit Fredericks with the massive TSUNAMIIIII!!! to get the win. (82/B)-Block B Match: Will Ospreay defeated SANADA in a good match. SANADA continued his dissent into rock bottom going into tonight, somehow looking more disheveled than he did last time. However, something awoke in him tonight. Ospreay looked like he was in control for most of this one, but SANADA suddenly started firing back with a bevy of strikes and stiff slams. SANADA was even able to lock Ospreay in the Skull End at one point! However, Ospreay was able to wiggle out of the Skull End and rolled SANADA up in a small package to get the three. (82/B) Afterwards, SANADA sat in the corner of the ring, sulking. The young lions entered to get him out, but SANADA suddenly snapped and started beating the living hell out of the young lions! Eventually, SANADA's rampage was paused when... Tetsuya Naito ran out to the ring! The leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon tried to tell SANADA to calm down and SANADA initially complied. However, when Naito turned around, SANADA clocked him in the back of the head with a superkick! The crowd gasped in shock as SANADA started beating the living hell out of Naito! Before SANADA could continue the beatdown, the rest of Los Ingobernables de Japon ran down to the ring to separate the two men. SANADA then grabbed a microphone and said that he was done with LIJ, claiming they've held him down for too long! SANADA then finished by promising a newer, better SANADA for his matchup with Hiromu Takahashi in four nights as medics tended to Naito.-Block A Match: Prince Devitt defeated KUSHIDA in a good match. After failing to defeat Kazuchika Okada two nights ago in Kyoto, he was on a mission to keep himself alive in Block A contention tonight in Hiroshima. KUSHIDA was pretty much in the same boat though and that led to a very physical contest, with neither man willing to give an inch for nearly 20 minutes. KUSHIDA was able to lock Devitt in the DEATH LOCK at one point, but Devitt escaped it by slamming KUSHIDA to the mat with a powerbomb! Devitt then scooped up KUSHIDA and hit him with the Bloody Sunday to get the win. (81/B) MAIN EVENT: VS Block C Match: Shingo Takagi vs Jay White Shingo Takagi defeated Jay White in an amazing match to close the show. Needing a win to stay alive in Block C, Shingo brought something tonight that we haven't seen from him since he won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship back in June 2021. Him and Jay White nearly tore the house down, with both men beating the living hell out of each other for nearly 25 minutes. Jay White thought he won after hitting Shingo with the Blade Runner, but Shingo got his foot on the bottom rope at the last second. A stunned Jay White immediately tried going for another Blade Runner, but Shingo managed to reverse it into the Last of the Dragon!!!! Shingo slumped on top of Jay White and got the three! The Hiroshima crowd roared and applauded both men as night fourteen came to a close. FINAL GRADE: G1 Climax 33 Post-Night Fourteen Standings: Edited April 16, 2023 by Uncrewed 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted April 18, 2023 Author Share Posted April 18, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax Night Fifteen- August 9th, 2023Attendance: 5,000 at Hiroshima Sun Plaza (Hiroshima, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -Sabre-gun's Taichi & Lance Archer defeated young lions Kosei Fujita & Ryohei Oiwa in a good match to kick things off tonight in Hiroshima. Taichi & Archer have been having a bit of a cold streak as of late, but maybe a dominant win over two young lions will get them back on track. Archer finished things off after just under 10 minutes after hitting Fujita with the Blackout. (72/B-)-Block C Match: KENTA defeated David Finlay in a good match. This battle between two friends was very respectful, with both men sharing a handshake before and after the contest. That being said though, neither man held back, with both men hitting each other with a bevy of stiff strikes and shots for nearly 16 minutes. In the end, Finlay tried ending things with the Prima Nocta, but KENTA managed to reverse it into the Go To Sleep! KENTA then made the cover and got the three. (78/B)-Block B Match: Will Ospreay defeated Juice Robinson in an amazing match. Ospreay continued his undefeated G1 Climax run tonight in Hiroshima with a big win over Juice Robinson. Juice did try to end that undefeated streak with some cheating and cheap shots, but Will Ospreay managed to outsmart the Bullet Club member at nearly every single corner. In the end, Ospreay hoisted up Juice and hit him with the StormBreaker to get the win. Now, as long as Ospreay beats Hiromu Takahashi on Night Eighteen, he'll make it to the semifinals of the G1 Climax. (90/A)-Block D Match: Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Claudio CSRO in a decent match. This one was physical to say the least, which you might not have expected between these two men (who are friends outside of the ring). However, CSRO has that ACE Entertainment money now, so friendship be damned. CSRO tore into Nakamura with a bevy of forearm shots and uppercuts, while Nakamura responded in-kind with a wide array of stiff kicks. In the end, CSRO's night came to an end when he missed the Swiss Death. Nakamura took advantage of that by first hitting CSRO with a spinning wheel kick and then running to the corner and hitting CSRO with the Bomaye! Nakamura then made the cover and got the three. (69/C+)-Block C Match: 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in a great match. After losing to Konosuke Takeshita a few nights ago in Kyoto, Lawlor was furious and he took that out on Zack Sabre Jr. tonight in Hiroshima. Sabre was fine with that as he tore into Lawlor with a bevy of submissions and chain wrestling moves. In fact, this one was probably more like a UFC fight than a traditional NJPW match at some points. Sabre took control near the end with a Penalty Kick to Lawlor's chest. Sabre then locked Lawlor in a cross armbreaker, but Lawlor was able to reverse it and roll Sabre up for the three! (84/B+) MAIN EVENT: VS Block A Match: Kazuchika Okada vs Jeff Cobb Kazuchika Okada defeated Jeff Cobb in a great match to close the show. This one would decide the winner of Block A, so both men held nothing back tonight in Hiroshima. Cobb used his immense power and strength to take control early, but Okada was able to start outsmarting the monstrous Cobb. Things specifically started turning around for Okada when Okada dodged a body avalanche from Cobb, sending Cobb crashing sternum-first into the turnbuckle! Okada then went to the top rope and attempted a diving crossbody, but Cobb caught him in mid-air! Cobb then tried finishing Okada off with the Tour of the Islands, but Okada wiggled out of it and hit Cobb with a RAINMAKAH!!!!! Okada then made the cover and got the three, punching his ticket to the G1 Climax Semifinals! FINAL GRADE: G1 Climax 33 Post-Night Fifteen Standings: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted April 19, 2023 Author Share Posted April 19, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax Night Sixteen- August 12th, 2023Attendance: 5,000 at World Memorial Hall (Kobe, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -Aussie Open defeated young lions Kosei Fujita & Yuto Nakashima in a good match to kick things off tonight in Kobe. Aussie Open have been raring to get their IWGP Tag Team Championships back from the Samoan SWAT Team and they looked pretty dominant tonight against the young lions. Davis & Fletcher officially ended things after hitting Fujita with the Coriolis in just under 10 minutes. Afterwards, Fletcher & Davis officially made the challenge, they want the Samoan SWAT Team in a rematch for the IWGP Tag Team Championship at Southern Showdown in Australia in two weeks! (80/B) -Block A Match: Lance Archer defeated Toru Yano in a decent match. This one was pretty cut and dry, Yano ran into a big boot from Archer to kick things off, Archer scooped up Yano to hit him with the Blackout, Archer put his foot on Yano's chest and got the three. A dominant win for the Sabre-gun veteran! (64/C) -Block D Match: Great O-Khan defeated Tetsuya Naito in a good match. Naito was still clearly banged up following his beatdown at the hands of SANADA a few nights ago in Hiroshima, which allowed the dangerous Great O-Khan to take advantage tonight in Kobe. Naito did gain control for a few moments, but those moments were fleeting at best, as Khan used his strength advantage to keep control over the Los Ingobernables de Japon leader. Eventually, Khan finished Naito off (maybe alongside his G1 Climax hopes) with the Eliminator after just under 18 minutes of action. (76/B-) -Block D Match: Shota Umino defeated Taichi in a good match. Shota knew that he needed a win tonight in Kobe to keep his G1 Climax hopes alive, but the problem for him was that Taichi knew that too. Taichi threw every trick in the book at Shota in order to win, from low blows to foreign objects, but nothing seemed to keep the 'Roughneck' down. Taichi eventually grew frustrated and lifted Shota up for the Taichi-style Last Ride, but Shota managed to wiggle out of it and hit Taichi with the DEATH RIDER DDT! Shota then made the cover and got the three, setting up a winner-takes-all match with Shinsuke Nakamura in three nights at the Nippon Budokan! (81/B) -Block C Match: Shingo Takagi defeated Konosuke Takeshita in a great match. Shingo finally was able to accomplish something that most people thought would be impossible tonight in Kobe with this win, he now claimed the top spot in Block C! That was thanks to a brutal battle with Konosuke Takeshita as these two put on a fight worthy of the name strong style. Takeshita had wrestled control near the end thanks to a big pump kick, but Shingo managed to wiggle out of an attempted Absolute Thunder. Suddenly, Shingo ran off the ropes and hit Takeshita with a huge Pumping Bomber (Crooked-Arm Lariat)! Shingo then scooped up Takeshita and hit him with the Last of the Dragon to get the three! (87/B+) MAIN EVENT: VS Block B Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs SANADA SANADA defeated Hiromu Takahashi in a great match to close the show. This was a side of SANADA we haven't seen in years. He cleaned up his act, shaving his beard and changing his hairstyle. He's also adopted a newer, more hard-hitting in-ring style. That threw Hiromu off and Hiromu had to resort to his more old-fashioned daredevil style that made him famous. That did eventually come back to bite Hiromu though, as when Hiromu went to the top rope to attempt the Phoenix Splash, SANADA was able to get his knees up at the last second! SANADA then scooped up Hiromu and looked like he was going to lock in the Skull End, but instead hit Hiromu with his new finisher, the Deadfall (Swinging Reverse STO into DDT)! SANADA then made the cover and got the three, handing Hiromu his first loss and getting his first win of the G1 Climax! FINAL GRADE: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted April 22, 2023 Author Share Posted April 22, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax Night Seventeen- August 13th, 2023Attendance: 5,000 at World Memorial Hall (Kobe, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -United Empire's Aaron Henare & Aussie Open defeated young lions Ryohei Oiwa, Kosei Fujita, & Yuto Nakashima in a good match to kick things off tonight in Kobe. After laying down the gauntlet for Southern Showdown, Aussie Open looked on fire tonight, as did Henare. In fact, Henare got the win after hitting Oiwa with the Streets of Rage after just under 10 minutes. Afterwards, Henare became the latest United Empire member to issue a challenge for Southern Showdown, as he challenged Jeff Cobb to a NEVER Openweight Championship match! (79/B) -CHAOS's Shinsuke Nakamura, Kazuchika Okada, & Ren Narita defeated Sabre-gun's Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi, & El Desperado in a great match. The dissension in Sabre-gun continued to grow tonight in Kobe, which left them as easy pickings for the CHAOS power duo and Ren Narita. Eventually, the dissension distracted Taichi long enough for Narita to hit him with a running high knee. As Desperado and Sabre argued on the apron, Narita tagged out to Okada, who scooped up Taichi and hit him with the RAINMAKAH!!! to get the win. (88/B+)-Block B Match: SANADA defeated Juice Robinson in a good match. After defeating Hiromu Takahashi last night, SANADA was feeling good going into this contest with Juice Robinson. Juice tried his best to wipe that smile off of SANADA's face, but it seemed like SANADA could do no wrong tonight in Kobe. Things eventually came to an end when SANADA initially locked Juice in the Skull End, but he quickly transitioned it into the Deadfall! SANADA then made the cover and got the three. (82/B)-Block D Match: Great O-Khan defeated Claudio CSRO in a good match. Khan's hot streak and CSRO's cold streak continued tonight in Kobe, but that was only after a very intense, physical contest. Khan and CSRO tore into each other for nearly 20 minutes with both men hitting each other with a bevy of strikes that made the crowd gasp. In the end, CSRO tried hitting Khan with the Swiss Death, but Khan reversed it into a Mongolian Chop! Khan then scooped up CSRO and hit him with the Eliminator to get the win. Afterwards, a furious CSRO beat the living hell out of the young lions at ringside. (78/B)-Block A Match: Jeff Cobb defeated Lance Archer in a good match. Archer wasn't able to carry over his momentum from his easy win over Toru Yano tonight, especially against an enraged Jeff Cobb. Cobb was furious over losing Block A to Kazuchika Okada a few nights ago in Hiroshima and he took that aggression out on Archer tonight in Kobe. In the end, Cobb was able to lift up Archer and hit him with the Tour of the Islands. Instead of going for the cover, Cobb picked up Archer again and hit him with another Tour of the Islands! Cobb finally made the cover and got the three shortly thereafter. (82/B) MAIN EVENT: VS Block C Match: Shingo Takagi vs KENTA KENTA defeated Shingo Takagi in an amazing match to close the show. Shingo could have won Block C and locked up a spot in the semifinals with a win tonight, but KENTA had other plans. KENTA unleashed a side of himself that we haven't seen probably since he won the IWGP United States Championship back at Wrestle Kingdom, tearing into Shingo with a bevy of strikes and kicks. Shingo didn't hold back either, responding with a wide array of strikes and stiff shots. In the end, something had to give, and Shingo looked like he had won it after lifting KENTA up for the Last of the Dragon. However, KENTA managed to roll through the move and roll up Shingo! Shingo kicked out at two, but he then walked right into a roundhouse kick from KENTA! KENTA then scooped up Shingo and hit him with the Go To Sleep! KENTA then made the cover and got the three! Now, Shingo has to rely on Jay White winning on Night Eighteen to advance to the semifinals, because if White loses to Zack Sabre Jr., Sabre's going to the G1 Climax Semifinals! FINAL GRADE: G1 Climax 33 Post-Night Seventeen Standings: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted April 24, 2023 Author Share Posted April 24, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax Night Eighteen- August 15th, 2023Attendance: 10,000 at Nippon Budokan (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T.-Block B Match: Karl Fredericks defeated Josh Alexander in a good match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. Fredericks wrapped up his first ever G1 Climax with a solid win over the IMPACT World Heavyweight Champion. However, both men have to feel like they should have done better in this tournament and that may be biting at Karl a bit. In the end, Karl finished off Alexander with the Manifest Destiny in just under 16 minutes. Afterwards, Fredericks shared a handshake with Alexander and made a challenge for the IMPACT World Heavyweight Championship! Alexander accepted and a match was made for the G1 Climax Final! (80/B)-Block D Match: Tetsuya Naito defeated Powerhouse Hobbs in a good match. Despite the whole SANADA situation distracting him enough to cost him a shot in the semifinals, Tetsuya Naito was able to rebound nicely with a big win over Powerhouse Hobbs tonight in Tokyo. Hobbs had a decent G1 Climax debut, but he wasn't able to finish it with a win over the veteran Naito. In the end, Hobbs went for the Book of Hobbs, but Naito was able to wiggle out of it and hit Hobbs with the Destino to get the win. (75/B-)-Block C Match: 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor defeated David Finlay in a good match. Lawlor capped off his G1 Climax with a solid win over Finlay, but he has to think this one was a bit of a disappointment. Lawlor had high hopes, but he seemed to lose against most major challengers (save for Zack Sabre Jr.) at every corner. Lawlor did seem to make up for it tonight though, taking care of Finlay in just under 18 minutes after making him tap out to the Rear Naked Choke. (82/B)-Block A Match: Prince Devitt defeated Aaron Henare in a good match. In Devitt's first G1 Climax since 2013, he performed pretty well, only losing the legendary Kazuchika Okada and the dominant Jeff Cobb. However, Devitt still feels like he should have done more for Bullet Club and took that anger on Aaron Henare tonight in Tokyo. Henare did manage to get a few good shots in though and even had Devitt up for the Streets of Rage. However, Devitt wiggled out of it and hit Henare with Bloody Sunday to get the win. (75/B-)-Block A Match: Kazuchika Okada defeated KUSHIDA in a great match. Okada had already clinched a spot in the G1 Climax semifinals, but that didn't stop him from giving it his all tonight against KUSHIDA. However, that may have come back to bite the 'Rainmaker,' as something pretty notable happened near the end of this one. As Okada tried finishing off KUSHIDA with the Rainmaker, KUSHIDA caught him and locked in the DEATH LOCK! Okada desperately clawed for the ropes, but KUSHIDA kept wrenching the hold in. Eventually, Okada was able to reverse the DEATH LOCK into a small package to get the pin. However, after the match, Okada mentioned to the ringside medics that he heard something pop in his shoulder. (83/B+)-Block C Match: Jay White defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in an amazing match. Sabre needed a win to advance to the G1 Climax semifinals, but Jay White didn't care. White isn't the biggest fan of Sabre and was more than happy to ruin his chances at making the semifinals tonight in Tokyo. These two went tit for tat for over 20 minutes, with neither man giving an inch at any moment. White looked like he had won it after hitting Sabre with the Kiwi Crusher, but Sabre kicked out at two and immediately transitioned into an armbar! White was able to get out of the hold and pushed Sabre into referee Marty Asami. While Asami caught himself, White kicked Sabre in the groin! White then scooped up a keeled-over Sabre and hit him with the Blade Runner to get the win. With Sabre's loss, that means Shingo Takagi will advance to the G1 Climax semifinals from Block C! (93/A)-Block D Match: Shota Umino defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a good match. The winner of this one would advance to the G1 Climax semifinals and both men were well aware of the stakes going into this one. These two held nothing back, with Nakamura harkening back to his older days with his level of stiff strikes against the youngster Shota. Shota also tore into Nakamura, seemingly having learned his lesson from his match against Tetsuya Naito last week. In the end, Nakamura took out Shota with a big roundhouse kick. Nakamura then ran to the opposite corner and attempted the Bomaye, but Shota rolled out of the way at the last second! Nakamura's knee hit the turnbuckle, which allowed Shota to sneak up from behind him, spin him around, and hit him with the DEATH RIDER DDT! Shota then made the cover and got the three, advancing to the G1 Climax semifinals! (82/B) MAIN EVENT: VS Block B Match: Hiromu Takahashi vs Will Ospreay Hiromu Takahashi defeated Will Ospreay in an amazing match to close the show. This rematch of last year's G1 Climax Final was extremely hyped up and it did not disappoint. Both men tore the house down with an impressive variety of hard-hitting and high flying attacks. Ospreay thought he got the win early after hitting Hiromu with the OsCutter, but Hiromu kicked out at two. Another attempted OsCutter was then caught by Hiromu, who sent Ospreay flying across the ring with a German suplex. However, Ospreay somehow managed to land on his feet and hit Hiromu with a massive superkick! Both men collapsed to the mat after that as the crowd exploded in applause. Eventually, after 25 minutes of amazing action, Ospreay tried finishing off Hiromu, starting with hitting him with the Hidden Blade. Ospreay then tried hitting Hiromu with the StormBreaker, but Hiromu somehow managed to reverse it into a Canadian Destroyer!!! A stunned Ospreay popped up off the mat and walked right into the Time Bomb from Hiromu!!! Hiromu then made the cover and got the three! Hiromu is advancing to the G1 Climax semifinals! The final night of the G1 Climax came to a close as Hiromu stood tall to the roar of the Nippon Budokan crowd. FINAL GRADE: G1 Climax 33 Final Standings: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidKnightDreary Posted April 24, 2023 Share Posted April 24, 2023 Congrats to the semifinalists! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted April 27, 2023 Author Share Posted April 27, 2023 BREAKING NEWS: G1 CLIMAX SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS REVEALED At a press conference in Tokyo today, the G1 Climax Semifinal matchups were revealed. The matchups were determined by a random drawing of lots. The G1 Climax Semifinal matchups are as follows: VS KAZUCHIKA OKADA (Block A Winner) VS SHINGO TAKAGI (Block C Winner) VS HIROMU TAKAHASHI (Block B Winner) VS SHOTA UMINO (Block D Winner) The G1 Climax Semifinals and Finals will take place on August 17th live from the legendary Nippon Budokan and exclusively on New Japan World! You don't want to miss this! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidKnightDreary Posted April 28, 2023 Share Posted April 28, 2023 Best possible semi-finals honestly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted April 29, 2023 Author Share Posted April 29, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax 33 Final Prediction Key G1 Climax Semifinal: Kazuchika Okada (Block A Winner) vs Shingo Takagi (Block C Winner) Comments: G1 Climax Semifinal: Hiromu Takahashi (Block B Winner) vs Shota Umino (Block D Winner) Comments: Handicap Match: YOH vs AKUMA & AKUJIN Comments: Aussie Open vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White & Prince Devitt) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) Comments: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Eita & El Lindaman Comments: G1 Climax 33 Final: Okada/Shingo vs Hiromu/Shota Comments: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdBloodedSausageMaker Posted April 30, 2023 Share Posted April 30, 2023 (edited) G1 Climax Semifinal: Kazuchika Okada (Block A Winner) vs Shingo Takagi (Block C Winner) Comments: G1 Climax Semifinal: Hiromu Takahashi (Block B Winner) vs Shota Umino (Block D Winner) Comments: Handicap Match: YOH vs AKUMA & AKUJIN Comments: Aussie Open vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White & Prince Devitt) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) Comments: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Eita & El Lindaman Comments: G1 Climax 33 Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Shota Umino Comments: Edited April 30, 2023 by ColdBloodedSausageMaker 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonOfSharknado Posted May 1, 2023 Share Posted May 1, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax 33 Final Prediction Key G1 Climax Semifinal: Kazuchika Okada (Block A Winner) vs Shingo Takagi (Block C Winner) Comments: G1 Climax Semifinal: Hiromu Takahashi (Block B Winner) vs Shota Umino (Block D Winner) Comments: Handicap Match: YOH vs AKUMA & AKUJIN Comments: Aussie Open vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White & Prince Devitt) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) Comments: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Eita & El Lindaman Comments: G1 Climax 33 Final: Okada/Shingo vs Hiromu/Shota Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidKnightDreary Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 G1 Climax Semifinal: Kazuchika Okada (Block A Winner) vs Shingo Takagi (Block C Winner) Comments: G1 Climax Semifinal: Hiromu Takahashi (Block B Winner) vs Shota Umino (Block D Winner) Comments: Handicap Match: YOH vs AKUMA & AKUJIN Comments: Aussie Open vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste) Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White & Prince Devitt) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) Comments: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Eita & El Lindaman Comments: G1 Climax 33 Final: Okada/Shingo vs Hiromu/Shota Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 4, 2023 Author Share Posted May 4, 2023 NJPW G1 Climax 33 Final- August 17th, 2023Attendance: 17,000 at Nippon Budokan (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. The G1 Climax 33 Final kicked off with a video hyping up the matches that will take place tonight. From the semifinals and finals of the G1 Climax to a big IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match and a battle between YOH & the demonic duo of AKUMA & AKUJIN, you won't want to miss this one folks! The commentary team then welcomed the crowd to show and we went into our first contest of the evening... G1 Climax Semifinals VS Kazuchika Okada vs Shingo Takagi Okada went undefeated in Block A to get here, defeating the likes of Jeff Cobb, Prince Devitt, & KUSHIDA. However, his match with KUSHIDA, though ending in victory, led to Okada suffering a shoulder injury and his right shoulder is heavily taped-up tonight in Tokyo. Meanwhile, Shingo made a bit of a come-from-behind run in Block C, outlasting several people picked to win the block like Jay White, Konosuke Takeshita, & Zack Sabre Jr. This match was an amazing match and the crowd was split between Okada and Shingo. This Wrestle Kingdom 16 rematch started with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Shingo wrestled control with a forearm smash. Shingo then hit Okada with a flurry of quick strikes before running off the ropes and blasting Okada with a lariat. Shingo then scooped up Okada and threw him into the corner. Shingo set up Okada for a knife edge chop, but Okada managed to roll out of the way at the last second, leading Shingo to chop the turnbuckle pad! As Shingo shook his wrist in pain, Okada hit him with a discus lariat. Okada then threw Shingo off the ropes, ducked a lariat, and hit him with a beautiful-looking dropkick! Okada then went for the cover, but Shingo kicked out at two. Okada picked Shingo up and tried locking him in the Money Clip, but Shingo wiggled out of it and hit Okada with a German suplex. Okada landed on his injured shoulder on that move and Shingo took advantage, stomping the living hell out of the shoulder. Shingo then tried locking Okada in an armbar, but Okada was able to punch him away and hit him with a big boot. After a brief second to recover, Okada charged at Shingo and hit him with a running shoulder tackle. Okada then locked Shingo in the Red Ink! Shingo desperately clawed for the ropes and was eventually able to reach them. Okada didn't care though and kept the hold locked in until referee Red Shoes threatened to disqualify him. The match came to an end when Okada picked up Shingo and tried hitting him with the RAINMAKAHHHH!!!, but his shoulder gave out! As Okada writhed in pain, Shingo ran off the ropes and hit him with the Pumping Bomber! Okada groggily got back to his feet, but Shingo hit him with another Pumping Bomber! Shingo then scooped up Okada and hit him with the Last of the Dragon!!! Shingo made the cover... 1! 2! 3! Shingo Takagi has beaten Kazuchika Okada to advance the G1 Climax 33 Finals! That's got to feel good for Shingo, finally avenging his Wrestle Kingdom defeat last year and getting one step closer to getting an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot at Wrestle Kingdom next year at the same time!WINNER: Shingo Takagi G1 Climax Semifinals VS Hiromu Takahashi vs Shota Umino Both Hiromu & Shota won their respective blocks on the last night of the G1 Climax, with Shota defeating Shinsuke Nakamura and Hiromu defeating Will Ospreay in an amazing match to get here. This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Hiromu. These two moved at a million miles a minute from the opening bell, with Hiromu trying to take Shota out with a spinning wheel kick, but failing. Shota dodged the kick, ran off the ropes, and hit Hiromu with a shotgun dropkick that sent Hiromu crashing to the outside. Shota then ran off the ropes again and hit Hiromu with a somersault plancha! Shota then threw Hiromu into the ring steps before throwing him back in the ring. Shota tried finishing off Hiromu with the DEATH RIDER DDT, but Hiromu reversed it into a northern lights suplex. Hiromu then went to the top rope and hit Shota with a Phoenix splash! Hiromu made the cover, but Shota kicked out at two. Hiromu picked up Shota and threw him to the apron. Hiromu then ran off the ropes and attempted a suicide spear, but Shota hit him with a knee strike to the head that put Hiromu on wobbly legs. Shota then hit Hiromu with a springboard forearm smash! Shota scooped up Hiromu after that and hit him with a gutwrench powerbomb, which only got a two count on an ensuing pinfall attempt. Shota tried hitting Hiromu with the DEATH RIDER DDT, but Hiromu reversed it into an overhead belly to belly suplex, which sent Shota rolling to the outside. Hiromu then ran off the ropes and hit Shota with a massive suicide dive! Shota recoiled and tried to gather himself on the ringside barricade, but Hiromu charged at him and sent both men flying over the barricade with a flying missile dropkick! As referee Red Shoes nearly counted both men out, Shota & Hiromu somehow managed to get back in the ring at the last second. The match came to an end when Hiromu tried hitting Shota with the Time Bomb, but Shota managed to reverse it into a small package, which only got a two count. Shota tried swinging at Hiromu, but Hiromu ducked it and hit Shota with a superkick! Shota recoiled off the ropes and right into the Time Bomb from Hiromu!!! Hiromu then made the cover... 1! 2! 3! Hiromu Takahashi has advanced to the G1 Climax 33 Finals! He's got to be exhausted after this hellacious contest, but despite that, he's going to his second straight G1 Climax Finals. But now, he faces arguably his biggest test to date, a match with his fellow Los Ingobernables de Japon member, Shingo Takagi!WINNER: Hiromu Takahashi Handicap Match: VS YOH vs AKUMA & AKUJIN YOH has been dealing with AKUMA for nearly the entirety of 2023, with the mind games becoming so severe that it arguably cost YOH the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship back at Dominion. However, AKUMA is now joined by a fellow-masked man, AKUJIN, adding to the mental torture. This has led YOH to lash out at others, specifically his rival/former tag partner SHO, claiming that he's behind all of this (which was promptly disproved when the demons attacked SHO a few weeks ago). Now, YOH gets a shot at revenge on these two demons tonight in Tokyo! This match was a decent match and the crowd was solidly behind YOH. YOH didn't even wait for the demons to decide who would start, as he ambushed both men as they were making their entrance with a suicide dive! YOH then grabbed AKUJIN and threw him in the ring to start the match. YOH unloaded a barrage of strikes onto AKUJIN, eventually culminating with a spin kick to the dome. YOH's attempted pinfall was quickly broken up by AKUMA, who kicked YOH in the back. AKUMA and AKUJIN then began a two-on-one beatdown of YOH, culminating with them hitting YOH with a Hart Attack! AKUJIN then tagged out to AKUMA, who went to the top rope and hit YOH with a moonsault. AKUMA then began working over YOH's arm, elbowing his shoulder, and stomping his hand. AKUMA then went to the top rope and attempted his finisher, the Gates of Hell (630 Senton), but YOH was able to roll out of the way at the last second! YOH then took the fight to AKUMA, landing a bevy of strikes to the demon before hitting him with a discus elbow smash! The match came to an end when YOH picked up AKUMA and tried hitting him with the Direct Drive, but AKUJIN broke that up with a springboard lariat. The demons then launched another two-on-one beatdown, which culminated this time with a standing moonsault from AKUJIN and a running corkscrew senton bomb from AKUMA. AKUMA then went to the top rope and hit YOH with the Gates of Hell! Instead of going for the cover, AKUMA tagged out to AKUJIN, who locked YOH in his finisher, the Underworld Descent (Muta Lock)! Eventually, YOH had no choice but to tap out.WINNERS: AKUMA & AKUJIN Afterwards, AKUMA & AKUJIN continued their beatdown on YOH. The two demons beat the living hell out of YOH, with AKUMA hitting YOH with the Gates of Hell once more and AKUJIN locked YOH in the Underworld Descent while AKUMA slapped YOH across the face. As AKUJIN kept the Underworld Descent locked in, AKUMA set up to spray mist in YOH's face. Before he could do that though... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qEmukTD7jI&t=29s&ab_channel=RealJosh IT'S SHO!!! SHO ran down to the ring and immediately took the fight to AKUMA & AKUJIN, blasting AKUJIN with a spinning heel kick and hitting AKUMA with a bicycle kick! The demons retreated out of the ring as SHO taunted them to come back. As SHO was doing that, YOH got up and spun him around to face him. The two men shared a tense staredown as the crowd started chanting "RO-PPON-GI! RO-PPON-GI!" Before things could come to blows... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzPZZoULpXg&t=14s&ab_channel=IndyThemesX Rocky Romero ran down to the ring! Rocky got in-between the two men and told them to stop! Rocky grabbed a microphone and said that both men have been at each other's throats for way too long. Sure, SHO did turn on YOH and brutally beat him down, and YOH may be acting like a paranoid freak by blaming SHO for the demonic attacks, but when they came together, they made magic in the ring. Rocky then proposed an idea, a Roppongi 3K reunion to take down the demons! The crowd exploded in approval as Rocky said the reunion didn't have to be permanent, but both men are facing a common enemy and it would be wise to team up to take that enemy out! As the crowd continued to chant "RO-PPON-GI!," SHO and YOH thought about it before SHO made the first move and offered a handshake. After thinking about it longer, YOH accepted the handshake and the crowd went wild! SHO and YOH shared a bit of a tense handshake as Rocky and the crowd celebrated and Roppongi 3K's theme song played. The two men walked to the back together as Rocky told the camera that the next time we see the demons, it's not going to be like The Gorillaz, because the Demon Days are over! VS Aussie Open vs TMDK Aussie Open will be challenging The Samoan SWAT Team for the IWGP Tag Team Championships next week at Southern Showdown in Australia, so this match was seen as a bit of a tune-up match for them. However, TMDK have also stated their intentions to take the IWGP Tag Team Championships and a win tonight over Aussie Open may put them into contention. This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind Aussie Open. Kyle Fletcher and Shane Haste started things off with a collar and elbow tie-up, in which Haste hit Fletcher with an elbow smash and quickly followed that up with a snap suplex. Haste then threw Fletcher off the ropes and hit him with a big back body drop. Haste scooped up Fletcher and hit him with a German suplex. Haste then attempted a running big boot, but Fletcher rolled out of the way and hit Haste with a dropkick. Fletcher then ran off the ropes and hit Haste with a knee drop. Fletcher tagged out to Davis and the two men hit Haste with a double chokeslam, which only got a two on an ensuing pinfall attempt from Davis. Davis scooped up Haste and hit him with a military press slam, but a follow-up running senton missed. Haste took advantage of that mistake by blasting Davis with a lariat and tagging out to Mikey Nicholls. Nicholls hit Davis with a big boot before throwing him into the corner and hitting him with a few knife edge chops. Nicholls then went to the top rope and attempted a diving double axe handle to a recovering Davis, but Davis caught him in mid-air and launched him across the ring with a belly to belly suplex! The match came to an end when Davis tagged out to Fletcher and Nicholls tagged out to Haste. Fletcher dodged an attempted lariat from Haste and hit him with an enzuigiri that sent Haste crashing into the corner. Fletcher then tried grabbing Haste, but Haste poked him in the eye! Haste then rolled Fletcher into a small package! Nicholls held Davis at bay as Haste got the three! Afterwards, Haste & Nicholls made their intentions clear, they want in the IWGP Tag Team Championship match at Southern Showdown!WINNERS: TMDK VS Bullet Club (Jay White & Prince Devitt) vs Sabre-gun (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) In Prince Devitt's first G1 Climax since 2013, he finished in third place in Block A (only losing to Jeff Cobb & Kazuchika Okada). The less that can be said about Taichi's G1 Climax performance the better, as he didn't get a single win in Block D. Meanwhile, Sabre's looking to get some sort of revenge tonight on Jay White after White beat him on the final night of block competition, costing Sabre a shot at the semifinals. This match was a good match and the crowd was split between these two teams. White and Sabre started things off with Sabre immediately taking White down with a double-leg takedown and unloading a barrage of strikes onto the Bullet Club leader. Sabre then began working over White's leg by locking in a leg lock and stomping White's ankle. Sabre then threw White into the corner and hit him with a knife edge chop before attempting to lock in the Orienteering with Napalm Death. That failed as White was able to kick him away and hit Sabre with a German suplex. White then hit Sabre with a running knee lift before tagging out to Devitt. Devitt hit Sabre with a shotgun dropkick, which sent the Sabre-gun leader crashing into the corner. Devitt then ran to the opposite corner and attempted a running big boot, but Sabre rolled out of the way and hit Devitt with a German suplex. Sabre then set himself up in the corner to attempt something, but Taichi decided to tag himself in and take the fight to Devitt himself. Sabre shook his head in disgust as Taichi started stomping away at Devitt in the corner. Taichi then hit Devitt with a powerslam before taunting him and going to the top rope. Taichi attempted a diving elbow drop, but Devitt rolled out of the way at the last second, ran off the ropes, and hit Taichi with a slingblade! The match came to an end when Devitt tagged out to White, who scooped up Taichi and hit him with the Kiwi Crusher! White then picked up Taichi and hit him with the Blade Runner! White made the cover, but Sabre didn't even try to break up the pin as referee Daichi Murayama counted the three. Afterwards, Sabre left Taichi alone in the ring, not even waiting for his partner to recover before he left the ring.WINNERS: Bullet Club IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship Match: VS United Empire (Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey) (C) vs Eita & El Lindaman Eita emerged in New Japan Pro-Wrestling after El Lindaman's terrible performance in the 2023 Best of Super Juniors. Eita offered to tag with Lindaman to get him back on track and since then, the two have looked unstoppable. Things eventually culminated when Eita & Lindaman defeated Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo on night four of the G1 Climax. After that match, they officially challenged Bailey & Akira to an IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship match! This match was a good match and the crowd was solidly behind United Empire. Akira and Lindaman started things off with Akira hitting Lindaman with a running hurricanrana, sending Lindaman crashing into the ropes. Akira then ran off the ropes and attempted a damn 619, but Lindaman rolled out of the way and hit Akira with a German suplex. Lindaman then hit Akira with a few forearm smashes before hitting him with a back suplex. Lindaman then tagged out to Eita and the two men hit Akira with a double bulldog. Eita picked up Akira and hit him with a Falcon Arrow, but an ensuing pinfall attempt only garnered a two count. As Eita tried locking in the Numero Uno (Seated Scissored Armbar), Akira kicked him away and hit him with an enzuigiri. Akira then did his best Will Ospreay impression and hit Eita with an OsCutter! Akira then tagged out to Mike Bailey and the two men hit Eita with a double lifting DDT, which only got a two count on an ensuing pinfall attempt from Bailey. Bailey picked Eita back up and hit him with a spinning heel kick. Bailey then went to the top rope and hit Eita with a moonsault, quickly following that up with a standing double foot stomp. Bailey then scooped up Eita and attempted a Fisherman Driver, but Eita wiggled out of it and hit Bailey with a sitout powerbomb. Eita then hit Bailey with a Michinoku Driver, but Bailey kicked out at two on the following pinfall attempt. The match came to an end when Eita tried locking Bailey in the Numero Uno. That failed as Bailey managed to power out of it and hit Eita with a roundhouse kick! Bailey then went to the top rope and attempted the Ultima Weapon, but Lindaman ran over and threw Bailey off the top rope! Akira tried to attack Lindaman on the outside, but Lindaman damn near knocked him out with a superkick! Eita then tagged out to Lindaman and the two hit Bailey with the Cruz del Oro! Lindaman made the cover and got the three! Eita & El Lindaman are your new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions!WINNERS: Eita & El Lindaman G1 Climax Final VS Hiromu Takahashi vs Shingo Takagi Both of these Los Ingobernables de Japon members went through some hellacious fights earlier tonight to get here. Hiromu battled Shota Umino in a brutal affair, while Shingo was able to slip past Kazuchika Okada in a Wrestle Kingdom 16 rematch. Now, these two friends must battle it out to determine the winner of the 33rd G1 Climax! This match was an amazing match and the crowd was solidly behind Hiromu. Hiromu and Shingo started things off with a handshake and then a collar and elbow tie-up. Shingo took control from there with a forearm smash into a sidewalk backbreaker. Shingo then picked up Hiromu and hit him with a Gedo-esque Complete Shot (Reverse STO)! Shingo went for the cover, but Hiromu kicked out at one. Shingo then threw Hiromu into the corner, shushed the crowd, and hit Hiromu with a knife edge chop that reverberated throughout the Nippon Budokan! Shingo then ran off the ropes and attempted the Pumping Bomber, but Hiromu ducked it and hit Shingo with a stiff-looking dropkick. Hiromu then threw Shingo onto the apron, ran off the ropes, and hit Shingo with a suicide spear! On the outside, Hiromu threw Shingo into the barricade and tried throwing him into the commentary table section, but Shingo managed to reverse it and throw Hiromu onto the English commentary table. Shingo then grabbed Hiromu and sent him through the table with a spinebuster! Shingo then threw Hiromu back in the ring before referee Red Shoes counted both men out. Shingo picked up Hiromu and hit him with a snap DDT. Shingo then tried hitting Hiromu with a Buckle Bomb, but Hiromu reversed it into a hurricanrana that sent Shingo crashing head-first into the turnbuckle pad! Hiromu then caught a recoiling Shingo with a release German suplex that sent Shingo flying across the ring. Hiromu then picked up Shingo and hit him with the Dynamite Plunger (Fireman's Carry into Sitout Side Powerslam), but the ensuing pinfall attempt ended with a kick out at two from Shingo. Hiromu then threw Shingo into the corner and set him up on the top rope. Hiromu then hit Shingo with a top-rope Spanish Fly! After about a minute of recovery, Hiromu got back up and tried finishing off Shingo with the Time Bomb, but Shingo wiggled out of it and hit Hiromu with a brainbuster! The match came to an end when Shingo ran off the ropes and hit Hiromu with the Pumping Bomber! Shingo then made the cover... 1! 2! NO! Hiromu kicked out! Shingo didn't wait to argue with Red Shoes though and he picked up Hiromu to attempt the Last of the Dragon. That failed though, as Hiromu reversed the Last of the Dragon into a Canadian Destroyer!!! Hiromu then picked up Shingo and hit him with the Time Bomb!!! Hiromu made the cover... 1! 2! 3! Hiromu Takahashi has won the 33rd G1 Climax after a war with Shingo Takagi!WINNER: Hiromu Takahashi Confetti began falling from the sky as the crowd chanted "HI-RO-MU! HI-RO-MU!" NJPW President Takami Ohbari entered the ring to present the G1 Climax trophy to Hiromu and the two posed for photos until... GO ACE! ACE Entertainment officials flooded the ringside areas with ACE Entertainment branding, even covering the aprons and turnbuckle pads. All to make way for... Hiroshi Tanahashi! Tanahashi made his way down to the ring with the brand new IWGP World Heavyweight Championship as the crowd relentlessly booed him. Hiroshi grabbed a microphone, told the fans to shut up, and sarcastically congratulated Hiromu. Hiroshi said that Hiromu may have come this far, but there is absolutely no one in NJPW or in the wrestling world today that can take the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from ACE Entertainment, especially not some wannabe heavyweight who's better off living in the shadow of Tetsuya Naito! Hiromu laughed that one off and slapped Tanahashi across the face, sending Tanahashi to the mat! Hiromu then grabbed the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and held it high in the air to a huge pop from the crowd. Hiromu wrapped up tonight's proceedings by saying that he was going to kill ACE Entertainment and knock Hiroshi Tanahashi off of his high horse once and for all at Wrestle Kingdom 18! FINAL GRADE: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 7, 2023 Author Share Posted May 7, 2023 G1 Climax 33 Final Post-Show Press Conference: Kazuchika Okada: "I'll be honest with you, that sucked. Props to Shingo, but you didn't beat the 'Rainmaker' at 100%, you were only barely able to beat him at 50%. I don't know what's next honestly, all I know is I'm going to see the medical team for this shoulder. But, Hiromu, I've got my eyes on your G1 Climax Certificate when I'm back to 100% because it should be me main eventing Wrestle Kingdom and destroying ACE Entertainment!" Shota Umino: "Y'know, nobody saw this coming. When the G1 Climax blocks were revealed and people saw my name next to people like Tetsuya Naito & Shinsuke Nakamura, they counted me out. But you know what happened? I proved everyone wrong like I always do! While I didn't get the result I hoped for tonight, I'm still proud of myself and I know I'll be back here next year. So, Hiromu! You and I tore the house down tonight. Now take down Hiroshi Tanahashi and destroy those corporate yes-men at ACE Entertainment once and for all!" *Rocky enters the room humming the Roppongi 3K theme* Rocky Romero (in English): "WHAT A NIGHT BABY! ROPPONGI 3K IS BACK AND READY TO TAKE OV-" YOH: "ROCKY!" Chill out man, I know you're all excited to see us reunited, but let me make one thing clear, this is not permanent." SHO: "YEAH, THERE'S A REASON WHY I LEFT THIS DEADBEAT IN THE DIRT A FEW YEARS AGO AND THAT HASN'T CHANGED ONE BIT! I ONLY SAVED YOUR ASS BECAUSE I'M MORE ANNOYED WITH THOSE DAMN DEMONS THAN YOUR SORRY ASS!" YOH: "The feeling is very mutual my "friend." After I exorcise these demons, I'd want nothing more than to never see you again!" SHO: "I WOULDN'T BE HAPPIER ANY OTHER WAY!" *Both SHO & YOH walk off in different directions* Rocky Romero (in English): "It's okay, just give them some time!" Shingo Takagi: "That one was brutal. First things first, congrats Hiromu for winning the G1 Climax, you deserve it brother. As much as I hoped to reclaim the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, I'm at least glad someone that I trust is going to do it in my place. Second, Okada! I heard you talking trash earlier. Someone's salty they couldn't make lightning strike twice eh? Well, I hope tonight proved that you may have gotten lucky once, but nobody can keep Shingo Takagi down for long!" Hiromu Takahashi: "Well, well, well! What did I say a month ago at that big fancy schmancy G1 Climax press conference? I said that I would avenge what happened at the hands of that big monster Cobb at the New Japan Cup, win the G1 Climax, and take the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to kill ACE Entertainment! Now, I'm no mathematician, but I do have this nice, big G1 Climax trophy next to me, so that's one down and two to go! Jeff Cobb! You rampaging behemoth! After you're done in Australia, why don't you come back up to Japan and square off with me one-on-one and finally settle this once and for all! Then and only then will I be ready to take on Hiroshi Tanahashi, destroy ACE Entertainment, and win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship! And hey, Hiroshi Tanahashi. I hope tonight served as a good preview of what I'm going to do to you at Wrestle Kingdom, because from now on, it's no longer going to be "GO ACE!," it's going to be "GO TIMEBOMB!" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 10, 2023 Author Share Posted May 10, 2023 UPDATE: NJPW's foray into Australia, Southern Showdown, will be up tomorrow. I've already written the three Road to Destruction shows and am currently writing both Destruction shows right now. Just been taking the last few days to plan out Wrestle Kingdom, there's some fun stuff I've got planned 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColdBloodedSausageMaker Posted May 10, 2023 Share Posted May 10, 2023 Hope Umino gets his win back down the road. Guy is a star in the making. Usually Santo Jr., Umino and Caveman Ugg are in line for a huge push whenever I run a present-day NJPW save. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 13, 2023 Author Share Posted May 13, 2023 NJPW Southern Showdown- August 24th, 2023Attendance: 3,854 at State Sports Centre (Sydney, Australia)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. (Japanese), Kevin Kelly & Gino Gambino (English) -Evie defeated Toni Storm in a good match to kick things off tonight in Sydney. The NJPW debut of Evie couldn't have gone any better for the New Zealand striker, as she put up a hell of a fight against the first ever IWGP Women's Champion. Evie wowed the Sydney crowd with her impressive array of kicks, proving a reason why she's nicknamed the "Captain of Team Kick." Evie nearly got the win on a few occasions, but Toni Storm kept herself in it with some well-timed cheap shots and her impressive arsenal of moves. In the end, Storm tried finishing off Evie with the Storm Zero, but Evie wiggled out of it and hit Storm with a roundhouse kick! Evie then picked up Storm and hit her with her finisher, the Eve of Destruction (Front Flip Backstabber). Evie then made the cover and got the three, potentially earning herself an IWGP Women's Championship match in the process! (76/B-) -United Empire's Will Ospreay, Francesco Akira, & Mike Bailey defeated Bullet Club's Bad Luck Fale, Hikuleo, & Chase Owens in a good match. Fale has been busy training New Japan Pro-Wrestling's next big stars at the Fale Dojo in New Zealand, so he was ready to show United Empire what the teacher's been up to as of late tonight in Sydney. Turns out, whatever Fale was teaching still wasn't good enough to take down Will Ospreay and co. tonight. Ospreay eventually finished off Owens with the StormBreaker in just under 15 minutes. (72/B-)-IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Match: PAC defeated Robbie Eagles in a great match to retain the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. PAC didn't really take Robbie Eagles that seriously, but Eagles had the element of surprise and the backing of his home country behind him tonight. PAC toyed with his opponent, refusing to finish off Eagles on numerous occasions. That came back to bite PAC as Eagles stunned him with a superkick! Eagles then ran off the ropes and hit PAC with a running high knee before picking him up and hitting him with the Turbo Backpack! Eagles made the cover, but PAC somehow kicked out at two! As Eagles went to hit PAC with another Turbo Packback, PAC was able to wiggle out of it, landing on his ankle awkwardly in the process. PAC then rolled Eagles up from behind and got the three. PAC scurried his way out of the ring, limping his way to the back as the crowd jeered him, although PAC encouraged it a bit. (83/B+)-NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb defeated Aaron Heare to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship in a good match. You have to give some props to Henare for putting up such a good fight against the dominant Cobb tonight in Sydney. However, Henare's best was just not enough to take the NEVER Openweight Championship away from Jeff Cobb. Henare caught the monster off guard on a few occasions, even hitting him with the Streets of Rage at one point! However, Cobb kicked out of that and this one ended like how their G1 Climax encounter ended, with Jeff Cobb hitting Henare with the Tour of the Islands and getting the three. (75/B-)-NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship Match: JONAH defeated Buddy Matthews to win the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship in a good match. This battle between two of the biggest stars to come out of Australia in recent memory did not disappoint. The Sydney crowd was on their feet for most of this contest as Buddy & JONAH tore into each other for nearly 20 minutes. Buddy nearly got the win on a few occasions with some stiff knee strikes, but JONAH's size kept him in this and eventually got him the win. That happened when JONAH caught Buddy with a huge fallaway slam that sent him flying across the ring. JONAH then went to the top rope and hit Buddy with the TSUNAMIIIIII!!!!! JONAH then made the cover to get the three and the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship! (73/B-) MAIN EVENT: IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: VS VS The Samoan SWAT Team (C) vs Aussie Open vs TMDK The Samoan SWAT Team defeated Aussie Open & TMDK in a good match to retain the IWGP Tag Team Championships to close the show. The Sydney crowd was on fire for this one, with all three teams getting huge reactions from the crowd. Jimmy & Jey Fatu mostly tried to not get involved in the brawl between Aussie Open & TMDK, instead waiting for their opportunity to strike and let TMDK & Aussie Open go tit for tat for nearly 20 minutes. That opportunity finally came near the end of this contest when Mikey Nicholls was able to take out Kyle Fletcher with a big brainbuster while Shane Haste and Mark Davis took each other out on the outside. Suddenly, as Nicholls turned around, Jimmy & Jey ran in the ring and hit Nicholls with the 1D!!! Jey then made the cover and got the three! Southern Showdown came to an end as The Fatus stood tall and the crowd gave a standing ovation. FINAL GRADE: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 16, 2023 Author Share Posted May 16, 2023 NJPW1972.COM: "YOUNG LIONS RYOHEI OIWA, YUTO NAKASHIMA, & KOSEI FUJITA OFFICIALLY GRADUATE FROM NJPW DOJO, WILL GO ON EXCURSION FOLLOWING ROAD TO DESTRUCTION TOUR" TOKYO- In a press conference today, NJPW Dojo Head Trainer Jado announced that the current crop of young lions: Ryohei Oiwa, Yuto Nakashima, & Kosei Fujita, had officially graduated from the NJPW Dojo. Each man will have their respective graduation matches on each leg of the Road to Destruction Tour. Each man has already chosen their opponents, which are the following: RYOHEI OIWA: Shingo Takagi KOSEI FUJITA: Zack Sabre Jr. YUTO NAKASHIMA: Tetsuya Naito Jado also announced that the newest crop of young lions would be making their debut on the Road to Destruction Tour. Let's take a chance to look at them... Hoshiko Hasegawa A 22-year old from Tokyo, Hasegawa was the last man to make the cut for NJPW's graduating class this year. This young technician may be the smallest member of his graduating class (clocking in at just over 190 pounds), but that hasn't stopped him from developing one of the fiercest attitudes in young lion history! Oleg Boltin A 30-year old from Kazakhstan, Boltin was an acclaimed amateur wrestler before a knee injury derailed that career. Struggling to find what to do with himself, Boltin turned to professional wrestling, joining the NJPW Dojo and quickly becoming one of the most talented trainees in the history of the dojo, graduating top of the class! Oskar Leube A 25-year old from Germany, Leube was trained by Bullet Club's Bad Luck Fale at the Fale Dojo in New Zealand. He's already shown a bit of a liking to Bullet Club, teasing the idea of joining them as their "official young lion" in a few interviews. Whether that happens remains to be seen. Shoza Mori A 22-year old from Tokyo, Mori was a prized student of the legendary Satoshi Kojima at the NJPW Dojo. Kojima has called Mori the spitting image of himself at that age, so the expectations are already pretty high for the young lion. Yasahiro Yoshinobu A 22-year old from Tokyo, Yoshinobu is the largest member of the graduating class, clocking in at just over 270 pounds. What Yoshinobu may lack in speed and agility he more than makes up for in the power department, as his fellow young lions have told stories of their chests being beaten red from training with Yoshinobu! Yoshi Tamazaki A 21-year old from Hiroshima, Tamazaki comes from the world of mixed martial arts. Tamazaki had fought two fights in Rizin, winning both by submission with a guillotine choke. After winning his second fight, Tamazaki was surprisingly cut from Rizin and was convinced by the legendary Katsuyori Shibata to join the world of professional wrestling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DyllanK17 Posted May 16, 2023 Share Posted May 16, 2023 Really like this new crop of Young Lions, besides Oskar and Oleg are these guys irl wrestlers or were they made specifically for the save? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 17, 2023 Author Share Posted May 17, 2023 On 5/15/2023 at 8:38 PM, DyllanK17 said: Really like this new crop of Young Lions, besides Oskar and Oleg are these guys irl wrestlers or were they made specifically for the save? Yeah, everyone outside of Oskar & Oleg are regens. Most of them have pretty good star quality at least, so I'm optimistic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 NJPW Road to Destruction Night One- September 3rd, 2023Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -Bullet Club's Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows defeated young lions Hoshiko Hasegawa, Oskar Leube, & Shoza Mori in a dull match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. The debut of the three young lions didn't end in success for them, as the veteran Bullet Club trio easily took care of them tonight in Tokyo. In the end, Devitt finished off Hasegawa with the Bloody Sunday to get the win. (60/C) -Ryohei Oiwa Farewell Match: Shingo Takagi defeated Ryohei Oiwa in a good match. This is Oiwa's final match as a young lion before he leaves on excursion and he chose Shingo Takagi to be his opponent. Shingo may have underestimated Oiwa going into this one, as the soon-to-be former young lion was able to get some good offense in on the G1 Climax finalist tonight in Tokyo. Hell, Oiwa nearly got the win with a well-timed double-arm DDT, but Shingo kicked out at two. In the end though, Shingo's veteran instincts prevailed as he hit Oiwa with the Last of the Dragon to get the win after just under 10 minutes. Afterwards, Oiwa bowed to the crowd and left the ring to go on his excursion. (80/B) -Bandido & Mascara Dorada defeated United Empire's Francesco Akira & Mike Bailey and Ryu Lee & Dralistico in a good match. The winners of this contest would become Eita & El Lindaman's first challengers for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships at Destruction in Kobe, so the stakes were high. This one was a high-flying showcase, with all six men wowing the crowd with their aerial abilities. In the end though, Bandido & Dorada stood tall after Bandido hit Dralistico with the 21-Plex to get the win. (82/B) -Bullet Club's Jay White, Juice Robinson, & El Phantasmo defeated Team Filthy's Tom Lawlor, Alex Coughlin, & Clark Connors in a good match. Earlier today on NJPW's social media pages, it was announced that Jay White would challenge Lawlor for the IWGP United States Championship at Destruction in Kobe in two weeks. As such, Lawlor set out to injure his opponent before they could meet in Kobe. Lawlor's efforts were futile tonight though, as White was able to finish off Team Filthy by hitting Connors with the Blade Runner in just under 16 minutes to get the win. (78/B) MAIN EVENT: VS CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) CHAOS's Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon's Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito in a great match to close the show. Hiromu was still pretty banged up from the G1 Climax Final going into this one, with Naito having to carry most of the match. That wasn't good for LIJ as Naito was constantly distracted by SANADA, who was at ringside giving guest commentary for this contest. All of that allowed the veteran duo of Nakamura & Okada to win tonight in Tokyo, with Nakamura finishing the job after hitting Naito with the BOMAYE!!! Afterwards, Nakamura grabbed a microphone and called out Hiromu Takahashi for a match at Destruction in Kobe for the G1 Climax Certificate! Hiromu thought about it for a second and accepted the challenge! The two men stared each other down as Okada looked a bit miffed in the background to close the show. FINAL GRADE: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 NJPW Road to Destruction Night Two- September 4th, 2023Attendance: 2,000 at Korakuen Hall (Tokyo, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -At the beginning of the show, NJPW President Takami Ohbari announced that he had reached an agreement with ACE Entertainment for Hiroshi Tanahashi to defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Destruction in Taipei, NJPW's first show in Taiwan since 2014! Not only will Tanahashi defend the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but Jeff Cobb will also defend the NEVER Openweight Championship at the event! The challengers to those two men will be determined in tonight's three-way tag team main event, with the man scoring the winning pinfall getting to challenge Tanahashi and his partner challenging Cobb. What a huge announcement to kick off tonight! -United Empire's Aussie Open & Great O-Khan defeated young lions Oleg Boltin, Yasahiro Yoshinobu, and Yoshi Tamazaki in a dull match to kick things off tonight in Tokyo. The second crop of new young lions to debut didn't fare much better than their counterparts yesterday, though the former Olympic athlete Boltin did turn a lot of heads by taking Khan to the limit a few times. In the end, Khan was able to finish off Yoshinobu in just under 10 minutes after hitting him with the Eliminator. (59/C)-Kosei Fujita Farewell Match: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Kosei Fujita in a good match. This is Fujita's final match as a young lion before he leaves for his excursion and he chose Zack Sabre Jr. to be his opponent. This one was a technical wrestling showcase, with Fujita showing off what he's learned over the last few years from wrestling people like Sabre. In the end though, Sabre was just too good for Fujita to keep up with and he made Fujita tap out to the Orienteering with Napalm Death in just under 11 minutes. Afterwards, Sabre shook hands with Fujita and left Fujita in the ring for him to bow to the crowd. (80/B) -Sabre-gun's El Desperado, DOUKI, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru defeated Bullet Club's SHO, Taiji Ishimori, & El Phantasmo in a decent match. In SHO's first appearance since reuniting with YOH at the G1 Climax Final, he got a big reaction from the Tokyo crowd, but seemed distracted by the demonic AKUMA & AKUJIN. That allowed the Sabre-gun junior heavyweight trio to take advantage and get the win after about 15 minutes when Despy finished off SHO with the Pinche Loco. Afterwards, Ishimori told SHO to get his head in the game or there would be consequences. (71/C+) -CHAOS's Shinsuke Nakamura & Ren Narita defeated Sabre-gun's Taichi & Lance Archer in a good match. Taichi & Archer continued to disappoint Zack Sabre Jr. tonight in Tokyo, with the two men failing to take out the strong style duo of Shinsuke Nakamura & Ren Narita. The two men looked good against Narita, but Nakamura was able to take care of both men relatively easily. In the end, Nakamura was able to finish off Taichi with the Bomaye to get the win for CHAOS. (74/B-) MAIN EVENT: VS VS DEATH RIDERS (KUSHIDA & Shota Umino) vs Bullet Club (Jay White & Prince Devitt) vs LIJ (Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi) DEATH RIDERS's Shota Umino & KUSHIDA defeated Bullet Club's Jay White & Prince Devitt and Los Ingobernables de Japon's Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi in a great match to close the show. In the battle to determine who would face Hiroshi Tanahashi & Jeff Cobb at Destruction in Taipei, it was DEATH RIDERS who came out on top tonight in Tokyo. The three teams tore into each other for most of this contest, but it was Shota & KUSHIDA who emerged on top, albeit with a bit of controversy. Just as KUSHIDA went to lock Devitt in the DEATH LOCK, Shota tagged himself in and hit Devitt with the DEATH RIDER DDT! Shota made the cover and got the three to win himself a match with Hiroshi Tanahashi in Taipei! Shota celebrated and the crowd popped as KUSHIDA shook his head and left Shota in the ring to celebrate to close the show. FINAL GRADE: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 22, 2023 Author Share Posted May 22, 2023 (edited) NJPW Road to Destruction Night Three- September 7th, 2023Attendance: 2,000 at Fukuoka Convention Center (Fukuoka, Japan)Commentary Team: Shinpei Nogami & Milano Collection A.T. -Team Filthy defeated young lions Oleg Boltin, Oskar Leube, & Shoza Mori in a dull match to kick things off tonight in Fukuoka. Going into 'Filthy' Tom Lawlor's match with Jay White for the IWGP United States Championship at Destruction in Kobe, Team Filthy was looking for a win and they got that tonight over three of the newest young lions. In the end, Lawlor was able to make Leube tap out to the Rear Naked Choke while Connors & Coughlin kept Boltin and Mori at bay. (59/C)-Yuto Nakashima Farewell Match: Tetsuya Naito defeated Yuto Nakashima in a dull match. This is Nakashima's final match as a young lion before he goes on his excursion and he chose the leader of Los Ingobernables de Japon, Tetsuya Naito, to be his final opponent. Nakashima nearly got the win on a few occasions thanks to Naito being distracted by SANADA, who bought a front-row ticket tonight, and some well-timed cheating. In the end, Naito emerged on top with a big Destino after just over 10 minutes. Naito left the ring and jawed with SANADA as Nakashima bowed to the crowd to end his time as a young lion. (63/C) -United Empire's Aussie Open & Great O-Khan defeated Bullet Club's Juice Robinson, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows in a good match. This was a very evenly-contested affair, with Anderson & Gallows trying to take down Aussie Open in an attempt to win an IWGP Tag Team Championship match against The Samoan SWAT Team. Those dreams didn't come to fruition tonight, as Aussie Open were able to hit Anderson with the Coriolis to get the win for United Empire. (76/B-) -DEATH RIDERS's KUSHIDA & Shota Umino defeated Sabre-gun's Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi in a good match. While KUSHIDA might still be a bit salty over Shota stealing an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match from him last week, their dissension is nothing compared to what's going on in Sabre-gun. Taichi once again disappointed Sabre, who left before the match even ended tonight! That allowed Shota to hit Taichi with the DEATH RIDER DDT, but before Shota made the cover, KUSHIDA tagged himself in and locked Taichi in the DEATH LOCK to get the win. KUSHIDA told Shota afterwards "Now we're even." (75/B-) MAIN EVENT: VS CHAOS (Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi) CHAOS's Shinsuke Nakamura & Kazuchika Okada defeated Los Ingobernables de Japon's Hiromu Takahashi & Shingo Takagi in an amazing match to close the show. Nakamura got a crucial won over Hiromu Takahashi going into their G1 Climax Certificate match at Destruction in Kobe in two weeks tonight in Fukuoka. That wasn't without any trouble from Shingo though, as Shingo nearly got the win on a few occasions on Okada, who was determined to get some revenge on Shingo for costing him a shot in the G1 Climax Final. Okada did get that revenge in the end by winning this for CHAOS after hitting Shingo with the RAINMAKAH!!! FINAL GRADE: Edited May 22, 2023 by Uncrewed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncrewed Posted May 25, 2023 Author Share Posted May 25, 2023 NJPW Destruction in Taipei Prediction Key IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs KUSHIDA Comments: IWGP Women's Championship Match: Mercedes Mone (C) vs Evie Comments: CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Ren Narita) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito) Comments: Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs Team Filthy Comments: Aussie Open vs Oskar Leube & Oleg Boltin Comments: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vandal Posted May 25, 2023 Share Posted May 25, 2023 IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi (C) vs Shota Umino Comments: I don't see Shooter being the one to dethrone Ace, but this will be a huge test for him. NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Jeff Cobb (C) vs KUSHIDA Comments: I love KUSHIDA but don't think Cobb is dropping the belt just yet -- not after beating Ospreay in such a stellar main event. IWGP Women's Championship Match: Mercedes Mone (C) vs Evie Comments: Evie is great but I doubt Mercedes is dropping the belt on the first defense. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, & Ren Narita) vs Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, & Tetsuya Naito) Comments: CHAOS has gone over LIJ twice recently; they need some momentum. Bullet Club (Jay White, Prince Devitt, & Juice Robinson) vs Team Filthy Comments: I feel like Team Filthy just kinda... exists. BC has massive starpower in this match between Jay White and Prince Devitt. Aussie Open vs Oskar Leube & Oleg Boltin Comments: One of the best tag teams in the world against two new Young Lions so... Oi oi oi! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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