Tag: G1CLIMAX34

New Japan wrapped up the G1 CLIMAX 34 Tournament today with the Finals, which would feature a first-time winner.

Today’s event was held at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and can be watched on demand OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY on New Japan World in Japanese and English. This event aired as part of WORLD PRO WRESTLING LIVE 2024 exclusively on TV Asahi in Japan.

The announced paid attendance was 8056. That may be the promotion’s best post-pandemic Ryogoku number as the venue has generally been used at less-than-full capacity, which is 15,000 for sumo and normally around 14,000 for wrestling.

Match 1: Ryusuke Taguchi, Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Shoma Kato, Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata. Taguchi beat Kato with Oh My & Gar Ankle.

Match 2; Taichi beat Katsuya Murashima.

Match 3: Robbie Eagles & Mikey Nicholls beat Francesco Akira & Konosuke Takeshita. Eagles pinned AKira after Hyperion.

Match 4: Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors & Taiji Ishimori beat TAKA Michinoku, DOUKI & SANADA. Ishimori pinned TAKA after Bloody Cross.

Match 5: Tomoaki Honma, YOSHI-HASHI & HIrooki Goto beat Jake Lee, Gabriel Kidd & David Finlay. YOSHI-HASI pinned Finlay. Afterwards, YOSHI-HASHI issued an IWGP Global Championship challenge.

Match 6: Match 6: Yoshinobu Kanemaro, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL beat El Phantasmo, Shota Umino, Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi. EVIL pinned Tanahashi after a Dick Togo diving senton. Afterwards, EVIL tried to convince El Phantasmo to turn and join House Of Torture but Jado talked him out of it, leading to the heel beatdown.

Match 7: BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito beat Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan, HENARE & Jeff Cobb. Takahashi pinned HENARE after Nameless Hiromu Roll. Afterwards, Takahashi made a NEVER Openweight Championship challenge.

Masa Chono joined Japanese commentary as a special guest for the final match.

Main Event: G1 CLIMAX 34 Finals: Zack Sabre Jr. beat Yota Tsuji to win the tournament. It’s the first G1 triumph for ZSJ. The match went 31 minutes. As a result, Sabre earns an IWGP World Championship shot in the future…but he’s breaking tradition by not waiting for Tokyo Dome on January 4. He wants the shot on 10/14 when they return to Ryogoku for KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2024.

The next event is CAPITAL COLLISION on 8/30 at Entertainment And Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Live streaming as a PPV on New Japan World will begin at 3:30 PM PT/6:30 PM ET. The PPV is available for pre-order for $19.99 in the US and 2990 Japanese yen (around $20) in Japan. Purchase will include the live broadcast and on demand replays until the viewing period ends, tentatively scheduled for October 31.

UPDATE: After the event, New Japan posted a quick English video on YouTube announcing ROYAL QUEST 4, the promotion’s return to England. It will be on 10/20 at Crystal Palace National Sports Center in London. Pre-sale begins next week.

New Japan ran the penultimate day of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today with the Semifinals.

Today’s event was held at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo and can be watched on demand OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY on New Japan World. This event aired exclusively in Japan as part of WORLD PRO WRESTLING LIVE 2024 on TV Asahi.

The announced paid attendance was 5340.

Match 1: Robbie Eagles & Mikey Nicholls beat Shoma Kato & YOSHI-HASHI. Eagles pinned Kato after Turbo Backpack.

Match 2: Jake Lee & Gabriel Kidd beat Tomoaki Honma & Hirooki Goto. Lee pinned Honma after FBS.

Match 3: Callum Newman, Jeff Cobb & Konosuke Takeshita beat Jado, El Phantasmo & Shota Umino. Takeshita pinned Jado.

Match 4: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita & EVIL beat Ryusauke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Boltin Oleg, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi. EVIL pinned Yano after EVIL.

Match 5: Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors & Taiji Ishimori beat TAKA Michinoku, Taichi & DOUKI. Ishimori beat TAKA with Bone Lock.

Match 6: Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & HENARE beat BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito. HENARE beat BUSHI with Ultima.

G1 CLIMAX 34 Semifinals:
Match 7: Yota Tsuji beat David Finlay.
Main Event; Zack Sabre Jr. beat Shingo Takagi.
As a result, the Final is Tsuji vs. Sabre.

The Final is tomorrow. Live streaming on New Japan World OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY will begin TONIGHT at 11 PM PT/2 AM ET. This is a TV Asahi exclusive broadcast in Japan only.

New Japan continued the G1 CLIMAX 34 today with the final day of Block A.

Today’s event was held at Aore Nagaoka in Niigata and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 3022.

Match 1: Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hirooki Goto beat BUSHI & Yota Tsuji. Goto pinned BUSHI after GTR.

Match 2: Jado & El Phantasmo beat Gedo & David Finlay. Phantasmo pinned Gedo after Sudden Death.

Match 3: Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Sho, Yujiro Takahashi & Ren Narita beat Francesco Akira, HENARE, Jeff Cobb & Konosuke Takeshita. Kanemaru pinned Akira.

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 4: Gabriel Kidd beat Callum Newman.
Match 5: Zack Sabre Jr. beat SANADA. As a result, Sabre wins Block A.
Match 6: Shingo Yakagi beat Jake Lee.
Match 7: Shota Umino beat EVIL.
Main Event: Great-O-Khan beat Tetsuya Naito.
Before today I was unaware that this year the top 3 advance to the Semifinals, but 2nd & 3rd face each other in an elimination match beforehand. Because of tiebreakers. match will be Takagi vs. Khan with the winner facing Sabre.

The final day of Block B is Wednesday at Hamamatsu Arena in Shizuoka. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET. This will be an ABRMA broadcast in Japan.

Breaking injury news from New Japan: Yuya Uemura is now OUT of the final days of the G1 CLIMAX Tournament. Right arm injury suffered today. This means his final tournament match against Boltin Oleg on Wednesday will be a forfeit. On Monday, he was to have teamed with TAKA Michinoku to face Oleg & Toru Yano. That match is now off. No word yet on how long Uemura will be out.

More as it becomes available.

New Japan ran Day 14 of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today, Day 8 of Block B.

Today’s event was held at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 2631.

Match 1: Francesco Akira, Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan beat Katsuya Murashima, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi. Akira pinned Murashima.

Match 2: Gedo, Gabriel Kidd & Jake Lee beat BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & Yota Tsuji. Lee beat BUSHI with a front neck lock.

Match 3: Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino beat Dick Togo & EVIL. Umino pinned Togo after Death Rider.

G1 CLIMAX Block B:
Match 4: Boltin Oleg beat Konosuke Takeshita.
Match 5: Ren Narita beat HENARE.
Match 6: El Phantasmo beat Hirooki Goto.
Match 7: David Finlay beat Jeff Cobb.
Main Event: Yuya Uemura beat Yota Tsuji.

Standings (Block B):
1-Finlay, 5-3, 10 pts
2-Narita, 5-3, 10 pts
3-Cobb, 5-3, 10 pts
4-Uemura, 4-4, 8 pts
5-Takeshita, 4-4, 8 pts
6-Tsuji, 4-4, 8 pts
7-Goto, 4-4, 8 pts
8-Phantasmo, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
9-HENARE, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
10-Oleg, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. It’s all but going to come down to tiebreakers. If the top 3 stay that way after the last day, it will be Finlay & Narita advancing because Cobb lost to both of them. So Cobb must win his last match (Tsuji) and either Finlay (Phantasmo) or Narita (Takeshita) must lose or draw (or both lose/draw). If 2 of the 3 win or draw, all on 8 points will be eliminated. If only one of them wins or draws, or the apocalypse-NONE win or draw-tiebreakers will decide who advances. If the latter happens…potentially a 6-WAY TIEBREAKER!!! At least we have time to figure out everything as we’ll have to hold our collective breaths until Wednesday to find out.

Day 15 is Monday at Aore Nagaoka in Niigata with the final day of Block A. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 1 AM PT/4 AM ET.

UPDATE: Uemura os now OUT of the tournament. Right arm injury suffered in the win. Out indefinitely. Boltin Oleg gets a free win Wednesday.

New Japan ran Day 13 of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today, the 8th day of Block A.

Today’s event was held at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 2906, a full house/near sellout.

Before the matches began, Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared at ringside for a cancer eradication charity fundraiser event.

Match 1: Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg beat Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato. Oleg pinned Murashima after Kamikaze.

Match 2: Konosuke Takeshita & HENARE beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Ren Narita. HENARE beat Kanemaru with Ultima.

Match 3: Tomoaki Honma & Hirooki Goto beat Jado & El Phantasmo. Goto pinned Jado.

Match 4: Francesco Akira & Jeff Cobb beat Gedo & David Finlay. Akira pinned Gedo after Fireball.

Match 5: BUSHI & Yota Tsuji beat TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura. BUSHI pinned TAKA after Fable.

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 6: Tetsuya Naito beat Callum Newman.
Match 7: Great-O-Khan beat SANADA.
Match 8: Jake Lee beat Shota Umino.
Match 9: Zack Sabre Jr. beat Gabriel Kidd by ref stoppage (technical submission).
Main Event: Shingo Takagi beat EVIL.

Standings (Block A):
1-Sabre, 6-2, 12 pts
2-EVIL, 5-3, 10 pts
3-Naito, 5-3, 10 pts
4-Takagi, 4-4, 8 pts
5-Khan, 4-4, 8 pts
6-Lee, 4-4, 8 pts
7-SANADA, 4-4, 8 pts
8-Kidd, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
9-Umino, 3-5, 6 pts (OUT)
10-Newman, 2-6, 4 pts (OUT)
The top 2 advance to the Senifinals. Because of tiebreakers, Sabre has now clinched a spot in the Semifinals (he beat both EVIL & Naito). EVIL advances if he beats Umino next or if Naito loses. Naito must beat Khan and have Umino beat EVIL or a draw to advance. If they stay tied, EVIL advances because he beat Naito. Takagi, Khan & Lee can only hope for tiebreakers to advance.

Day 14 is Saturday at Xebio Arena Sendai in Sendai with the 8th day of Block B. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at midnight PT/3 AM ET.

New Japan ran Day 12 of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today, Day 7 of Block B.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This was a Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.

The announced paid attendance was 1504, a legit advance sellout.

Match 1: Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan beat TAKA Michinoku & SANADA. Newman pinned TAKA after Male Cutter.

Match 2: Jake Lee & Gabriel Kidd beat Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino. Kidd pinned Honma after a lariat.

Match 3: Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi beat Dick Togo & EVIL. Naito pinned Togo after Pluma Blanca.

G1 CLIMAX Block B:
Match 4: Jeff Conb beat Boltin Oleg.
Match 5: Konosuke Takeshita beat El Phantasmo.
Match 6: Yota Tsuji beat HENARE.
Match 7: Ren Narita beat Yuya Uemura.
Main Event: Hirooki Goto beat David Finlay.

Standings (Block B):
1-Cobb, 5-2, 10 pts
2-Takeshita, 4-3, 8 pts
3-Narita, 4-3, 8 pts
4-Goto, 4-3, 8 pts
5-Finlay, 4-3, 8 pts
6-Tsuji, 4-3, 8 pts
7-HENARE, 3-4, 6 pts
8-Uemura, 3-4, 6 pts
9-Oleg, 2-5, 4 pts
10-Phantasmo, 2-5, 4 pts
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. Everyone mathematically is still in it but Oleg & Phantasmo are down to only tiebreakers to have any chance.

Day 13 is tomorrow at Yokohama Budokan in Yokohama with Day 8 of Block A. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET.

New Japan ran Day 11 of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today, the 7th day of Block A.

Today’s event was held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo and can be watched on demand on New Japan World. This was a Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.

The announced paid attendance was 1503, a legit sellout.

Match 1: BUSHI & Yota Tauji beat Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato. BUSHI pinned Kato.

Match 2; Francisco Akira, HENARE, Konosuke Takeshita & Jeff Cobb beat Jado, El Phantasmo, Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg. HENARE beat Jado with Ultima.

Match 3: Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Ren Narita beat TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura. Kanemaru pinned TAKA with Samson Clutch.

Match 4: Tomoki Honma & Hirooki Goto beat Gedo & David Finlay. Goto pinned Gedo after GTR.

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 5: Great-O-Khan beat Callum Newman.
Match 6: Jake Lee beat Gabriel Kidd by countout.
Match 7: Zack Sabre Jr. beat EVIL in 19 seconds. Flash pin.
Match 8: Tetsuya Naito beat Shota Umino.
Main Event: SANADA beat Shingo Takagi.

Standings (Block A):
1-Sabre, 5-2, 10 pts
2-EVIL, 5-2, 10 pts
3-Naito, 4-3, 8 pts
4-SANADA, 4-3, 8 pts
5-Khan, 3-4, 6 pts
6-Lee, 3-4, 6 pts
7-Kidd, 3-4, 6 pts
8-Takagi, 3-4, 6 pts
9-Umino, 3-4, 6 pts
10-Newman. 2-5, 4 pts (OUT)
The top 2 advance to the Semifjnals. Mathematically only Newman is now out, but realistically it’s down to 4 as the only hope for everyone else it tiebreakers.

Day 12 is tomorrow with the 7th day of Block B. The event is a legit advance sellout. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET. This will also be a Samurai! TV broadcast.

New Japan ran Day 10 of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today, beginning the second half of Block B.

Today’s event was held at Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 3205.

Match 1: Francesco Akira, Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan beat Shoma Kato, Toru Yano & Hiroshi Tanahashi. Akira pinned Kato after Fireball.

Match 2; Jake Lee & Gabriel Kidd beat Tomoaki Honma & SHota Umino by ref stoppage. Lee beat Honma with a front neck lock.

Match 3; Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi beat TAKA Michinoku & SANADA. Takagi pinned TAKA after Pumping Bomber.

G1 CLIMAX Block B:
Match 4; David Finlay beat Boltin Oleg.
Match 5: El Phantasmo beat Yuya Uemura.
Match 6: Jeff Cobb beat HENARE.
Match 7: Hirooki Goto beat Konosuke Takeshita.
Main Event: Yota Tsuji beat Ren Narita.

Standings (Block B):
1-Finlay, 4-2, 8 pts
2-Cobb, 4-2, 8 pts
3-Tsuji, 3-3, 6 pts
4-Goto, 3-3, 6 pts
5-Uemura, 3-3, 6 pts
6-HENARE, 3-3, 6 pts
7-Takeshita, 3-3, 6 pts
8-Narita, 3-3, 6 pts
9-Phantasmo, 2-4, 4 pts
10-Oleg, 2-4, 4 pts
The top 2 advances to the Semifinals. The block remains wide open as everyone still has a chance.

Day 11 is Tuesday at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at 2:30 AM PT/5:30 AM ET. This will be a Samurai! TV broadcast in Japan.

New Japan ran Day 9 of the G1 CLIMAX 34 today, beginning the second half of Block A.

Today’s event was held at Yamato Arena in Osaka and can be watched on demand on New Japan World.

The announced paid attendance was 1711.

Match 1: Francisco Akira, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Konosuke Takeshita beat Katsuya Murashima, Shoma Kato, Tomoaki Honma & Hirooki Goto. Akira pinned Murashima after Fireball.

Match 2: Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg beat Gedo & David Finlay. Yano pinned Gedo.

Match 3: TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura beat Jado & El Phantasmo. Uemura beat Jado with a reverse armbar.

Match 4: BUSHI & Yota Tsuji beat Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Ren Narita. Tsuji pinned Kanemaru after Gene Blaster.

G1 CLIMAX Block A:
Match 5: Jake Lee beat Callum Newman.
Match 6: Great-O-Khan beat EVIL.
Match 7: Tetsuya Naito beat Gabriel Kidd.
Match 8: SANADA beat Shota Umino.
Main Event: Shingo Takagi beat Zack Sabre Jr.

Standings (Block A):
1-EVIL, 5-1, 10 pts
2-Sabre, 4-2, 8 pts
3-Naito, 3-3, 6 pts
4-Takagi, 3-3, 6 pts
5-SANADA, 3-3, 6 pts
6-Kidd, 3-3, 6 pts
7-Umino, 3-3, 6 pts
8-Khan, 2-4, 4 pts
9-Lee, 2-4, 4 pts
10-Newman, 2-4, 4 pts
The top 2 advance to the Semifinals. At this point, the bottom 3 are all but out and Khan would have been out with a loss. That loss kept EVIL from all but clinching a top 2 spot.

Day 10 is tomorrow at Aichi Prefectural Gym in Nagoya with Day 6 of Block B. Live streaming on New Japan World will begin at midnight PT/3 AM ET.