{"id":13073,"date":"2019-07-26T05:19:19","date_gmt":"2019-07-26T04:19:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/?p=13073"},"modified":"2019-07-26T05:19:46","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T04:19:46","slug":"g1-climax-29-night-7-and-8-results-and-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/2019\/07\/26\/g1-climax-29-night-7-and-8-results-and-review\/","title":{"rendered":"G1 Climax 29 Night 7 and 8 – Results and Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

Night 7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date: July 20, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From: Korauken Hall (Tokyo, Japan)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undercard Results:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon Moxley & Shota Umino def. Juice Robinson\n& Yota Tsuji<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru def.\nHirooki Goto, Toru Yano, & Yuya Uemura<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi, & Chase Owens def.\nJeff Cobb, Tomoaki Honma, & Toa Henare<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, & BUSHI def.\nTomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, & Ren Narita<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Block Matches:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zack\nSabre Jr. def. Bad Luck Fale<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the previous review, I really buried the Okada vs.\nFale match and my point still stands that it is the worst match in the\ntournament so far, and probably will be. But this however is how you do a match\nwith Fale. It does not have to be a technical barn burner, but rather maybe a\nfun brawl or even a match filled with shenanigans but in the right way, if that\nmakes sense. This is exactly that match. It did not take long before both\nwrestlers went to the outside brawling, with seemingly Fale getting the upper\nhand. That is of course until ZSJ puts him on a submission hold and as the\nreferee’s count is nearing to 20, Zack sprinted like his life depended on it\nand managed to finally win via count out over Fale! ZSJ gets his first points\nof the tournament and Fale didn’t particularly look weak as the big monster he\nis being booked  as. I may have not done\nit justice but trust me, all 6 minutes of this was actually fun, a vast\nimprovement from Fale’s last match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiroshi\nTanahashi def. Lance Archer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every match he was in so far, Lance Archer has made\nthe most of it and delivered well. This time is no different. Going up against\nTanahashi can be tricky, you either get a solid match or could turn out to be\nstinker or disappointing, luckily it wasn’t the latter. Tana played the\nunderdog role of course against the much bigger Archer. There were many points\nthroughout the match where The American Psycho could’ve gotten a win but Tana\nstill prevailed in the end, pulling off a victory roll at the 11 minutes and 58\nsecond mark. It’s interesting that Archer got some chants in from the Korauken\ncrowd too, he is definitely getting over and it’s not easy getting positive\nchants from a Japanese crowd with Tanahashi on the other side of the ring! So\nprops to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KENTA\ndef. EVIL<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A first time matchup between the veteran KENTA and a\nyoung but already experienced wrestler himself in EVIL. Battle of the ALL CAPS\nnames! Anyway, KENTA worked as a heel again for this match, him still being\nconsidered as an “outsider” by the New Japan fans because of his\nroots in Pro Wrestling NOAH. While they were tangled up in the ropes, KENTA\ninstead of usually slapping his opponents after the break, rubs his fingers off\nof EVIL’s signature dark eye makeup instead, much to the dismay of the crowd!\nWhat a heel. A very solid match, leaning more into the brawling side of things,\npretty much what you can expect from both men. If it wasn’t for the main event,\nthis will clearly be my favorite match of the night. Despite EVIL being on the\nlosing end, both men looked great after a grueling 15 minute match. The ring\nrust has been dusted off of KENTA at this point and his eventual match against\nOkada will be oh so glorious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kota\nIbushi def. SANADA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will be completely honest here, this is the\nperfect example of a match to me where it is really good but I’m not that\ninvested in it. Kota Ibushi and SANADA are two of the very best in the whole\nNew Japan roster right now, arguably in today’s wrestling landscape as well,\nyet just like Suzuki and Naito, there isn’t enough “chemistry” there\nfor me to care about the match. Don’t get the wrong idea, like I said it is\ngreat, borderline 4 stars even if you like doing ratings, but there is not\nenough build or background there for me to simmer into what was happening in\nthe ring. I’m not a fan of the match that after seeing it, I just mainly forget\nwhat happened other than the usual spots they did. I know KENTA and EVIL\nbarely, if at all, have any background with them, but they managed to catch my\nattention with the little nuances they did, this didn’t do it for me. Nothing\nremarkable here for me, but if you’re looking for a great match to watch, I’d\nstill recommend it. Ibushi wins with the Kamigoye at 19 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kazuchika Okada def. Will Ospreay<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo (c) njpw1972.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Main event to conclude the first week of the G1,\nit’s two CHAOS members and the champions of their respective divisions:\nKazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay. If I’m not mistaken this is their third\nsingles match with each other, first was in OTT years ago where Ospreay got his\nopportunity later on to join New Japan and in the 47th Anniversary show, both\nof them champions too so this is an exact carbon copy re-match of that. You can\nnever go wrong with these two in the ring, their 47th Anniversary match was\ngreat but they just topped that with this performance. Okada and Ospreay had\ngreat matches against other top talents over the years in NJPW, but they work\njust as well as in comparison to their contemporaries too. As expected from an\nOkada match, things start a little slow but not for long as it quickly picked\nup the pace. Ospreay hits Okada with a nasty chop that can be heard throughout\nKorauken, a chop so vicious I can respectfully compare it to a chop done by\nKenta Kobashi or Kensuke Sasaki, boy was it loud!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lot of fans think Ospreay would win here and I\nunderstand as he is seemingly being groomed to become the next top face gaijin\nin the company in the future, but the future ain’t now, we’re in the present,\nhe is still the junior heavyweight champion and no he is NOT getting over the\nreigning heavyweight champion anytime soon and that’s just fine. Once, the\nsecond Oz Cutter hits and Okada kicked out, it’s where things really went wild.\nA Storm Breaker could’ve probably gotten Ospreay the win but that was\nsurprisingly and amazingly reversed by Okada. The Spanish Fly spot was a joy to\nwitness as well but in the end, Okada’s patented Tombstone Piledriver +\nRainmaker combo solidified his win at the 21 minute mark. Great match between\ntwo great wrestlers, what else did you expect? Definitely top 3 G1 matches of\nthe year so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Block Leaderboard:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8\nPoints<\/strong> = KENTA, Kazuchika Okada<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4\nPoints<\/strong> = Hiroshi Tanahashi, Lance Archer, EVIL, Kota\nIbushi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Points<\/strong> = Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Luck Fale, SANADA, Will Ospreay<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Night\n8<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Date: July 24, 2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall (Hiroshima, Japan)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undercard Results:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fale, Yujiro, & Chase def. Ospreay, Honma, &\nUemura<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, & Minoru Suzuki\ndef. EVIL, SANADA, & BUSHI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiroshi Tanahashi & Shota Umino def. Kota Ibushi\n& Ren Narita<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okada, YOSHI-HASHI, & Henare def. KENTA,\nConnors, & Fredericks<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B Block Matches:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juice\nRobinson def. Toru Yano<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The G1 resumes after a 4 day break with former US\nChampion: Juice Robinson and 1\/3 of the reigning NEVER 6 Man Champs Toru Yano. I\nalways enjoy YTR’s matches because they’re just harmless fun but this wasn’t\nexactly it, however understandably so. Juice has taken more of a serious role\nfor himself ever since the Jon Moxley match so he is less goofy nowadays which\nI think is the right choice. Admittedly though, the match was a little dull.\nThe count out spot was good but at least the whole thing did not overstay it’s\nwelcome. 4 minutes in, Juice hits the Pulp Friction for an easy win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taichi\ndef. Hirooki Goto<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These two have faced before for the NEVER Openweight\nChampionship and have formed a solid rivalry. Yet again though, this match was\nanother underwhelming one and it seemed to be the theme for the entire night.\nAgain, the match is good in itself but for New Japan standards it just lacked\nthe intensity and hard hitting affair, at least that’s how I felt. I think\nwe’re at the point of the G1 where some wrestlers are taking it easy than usual\nand the grueling schedule has gotten into them and can’t really blame that\naspect. Still though it is a nice match, Goto and Taichi did their usual\nmovesets and whatnot, Miho Abe getting into the mix too which I will never\ncomplain about but I digress. The Goto hype train is officially dead at this\npoint, Taichi got him in a Gedo Clutch pin hold to take a win in his column at\nthe 12 minute mark while Goto fans are slowly wiping tears from their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jon\nMoxley def. Shingo Takagi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My personal match of the night and that might come\noff as controversial with the main event but yes, I did enjoy Moxley vs. Shingo\nbetter. Probably because it is a fresh matchup we’ve never seen before,\nliterally. These two had some history in Dragon Gate but this is their first\nsingles meeting and it was great. Was it better than Ishii vs. Moxley? Obviously\nnot, I don’t think that match will ever be topped especially in terms of\nintensity. Let me say it this way, this has been one of Mox’s best matches in\nhis entire career, but just another solid match to add in Shingo’s resume. All\nthroughout the match Mox worked on Shingo’s left knee and pretty much targeted\nit nonstop, even putting it through a table. As Kevin Kelly mentioned on\ncommentary, Red Shoes has really given a lot of leeway in Mox’s matches so far,\nnot ending them in disqualification. I wonder if that would come in at some\npoint in the future? The Regal Knee is also a cool move, Mox delivers it well\nand Shingo sells it like death. For the first time in his NJPW run though,\nShingo has been submitted after several damage taken in his knee from Mox via a\nTexas Cloverleaf. Submission finishes are pretty rare for Mox but I’m glad he\ncan showcase that he’s not just all brawl, but can get technical if needed to.\nA match against ZSJ would’ve definitely been interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jay\nWhite def. Jeff Cobb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another match that unfortunately I found a little\nboring. Same situation, really good match from a technical stand point despite\nthe usual silliness added in by Gedo but I just wasn’t captivated enough. Other\nthan the match against Ishii, Cobb’s run in the G1 so far has been a little\nunderwhelming, the affair with Juice was solid too but yeah, nothing over the\ntop. His show of strength spots are always cool to watch though, Jay ain’t\nexactly a junior but he gets tossed and carried around like one by Mr. Olympia\nhimself. Speaking of Jay, I said Ospreay will take Omega’s spot as the next top\ngaijin babyface, well he is exactly the opposite of that being the devious heel\ngaijin and it was masterfully showcased in this match. I think what is missing\nfor me is a little bit of edge in Cobb’s character. The former amateur turned\npro wrestler gimmick can only get you so far, look at Kurt Angle, he was able\nto be that gimmick but added a lot of spice to it through the years and became\none of the most memorable wrestlers of the 90’s and 2000’s. If only he is\nallowed to wrestle as Matanza from Lucha Underground, it would be so good but\nas of right now, Cobb is still a solid wrestler who needs a much refined\nidentity. Sorry if I didn’t talk much about the match, it was a middle of the\npack one if you will, at least Switchblade’s losing streak is over, hitting the\nBladerunner 15 minutes to win his first G1 match this year. Will probably be\nvictorious with the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tetsuya Naito def. Tomohiro Ishii<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo (c) njpw1972.com<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Main event for Night 8, two men who are very much\nfamiliar with each other at this point, IC Champ Tetsuya Naito vs. NEVER Champ\nTomohiro Ishii. Once again, Stone Pitbull is on a roll and you can pretty much\nbet on him never having a bad match with anybody. This was another great match\nbetween old foes. Ishii always brings out the brawler in Naito, he’s still\ntranquilo but rises up his intensity more than usual whenever pitted against\neach other. There isn’t really much to say than a fantastic back-and-forth and\na rightful match of the main event, it’s just the reason why I liked Mox vs.\nShingo better is that it is a fresh match while we’ve seen Naito vs. Ishii many\ntimes before, but if you prefer this, there’s nothing wrong, it is Naito’s best\nmatch of the tournament by far in my opinion. Destino at 18 minutes and 58\nseconds and that’s all she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naito kind of started slow in this tournament,\ndropping upset wins to Yano and Taichi, but it seems like momentum is back in\nhis corner. We’ll see where it all goes from here on his quest in becoming\ndouble champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B Block Leaderboard:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8\nPoints<\/strong> = Jon Moxley<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6\nPoints<\/strong> = Juice Robinson<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4\nPoints<\/strong> = Taichi, Toru Yano, Shingo Takagi, Tomohiro Ishii,\nTetsuya Naito<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2\nPoints<\/strong> = Jay White, Hirooki Goto, Jeff Cobb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Night 7 Date: July 20, 2019 From: Korauken Hall (Tokyo, Japan) Undercard Results: Jon Moxley & Shota Umino def. Juice Robinson & Yota Tsuji Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, & Yoshinobu Kanemaru [...]","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":13077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2,204,37,22],"tags":[1061],"class_list":["post-13073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-njpw","category-njpw-reviews","category-reviews","tag-naito"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9jnWd-3oR","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/5TlDGZs.jpg?fit=1155%2C891&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13073"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13078,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13073\/revisions\/13078"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prowrestlingjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}