Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg def Masatora Yasuda, Taichi — (6:58, schoolboy)
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Yasuda is a little firey today, but Taichi and Boltin end up starting.
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This was fine.
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Post match there’s a brief staredown between Oleg and Taichi. (They’re doing this weird thing where they’re using low spotlights for entrances, post-match, and outside the ring action; and I do not like it at all.)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SANADA[t-shirt version] def Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa — (7:19, DQ [the Eddie spot])
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Technically a clean start for an HoT match; between Oiwa and SANADA; but Nobu does pop in for interference within the first couple minutes.
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HoT Shenanigans level: relatively mild, but effective. SANADA did do the splash version of the water bottle shot this time, so I guess maybe he just sucks at consistency.
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Finish was the Eddie Guerrero spot by SANADA to Big Jag with the guitar.
Daiki Nagai, Yota Tsuji def Jakob Austin Young, Callum Newman — (6:32, Gene Blaster)
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Black Tsuji today. Has a brief staredown with Callum before posing and getting a pop for being announced as from Yokohama, which is where we are tonight.
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Tsuji calls out Callum to start. They step up and Callum starts talking shit, then shoves Tsuji and starts slapping his (face) cheeks and mockingly calling him “kawaii.”
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After a little bit of Callum and Tsuji, JAY gets tagged in with Nagai and takes an atomic drop-type move wrong; appearing to tweak his left knee. He collapses, clearly hurting though not in agony, but then gets back up and hits a dropkick before Callum comes in to help him get to the corner and tag in.
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After a bit of a stretch out while on the outside, JAY gets back on the apron and gets tagged in so he can almost immediately take a Gene Blaster and lose.
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Post match, Callum comes over and gets in Tsuji’s face. Yota puts a condescending hand on Callum’s shoulder. Callum acts like he’s backing off but then attacks Tsuji. Ends up hitting a plancha onto him from the ring to the floor.
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Callum then pulls Nagai out of the ring and slings him the barricade then stands on his neck. He helps Nagai up and starts to help him hobble towards Tsuji, but then slings him into the barricade again; which enrages Tsuji and starts another brawl that leads to Tsuji hitting the Tope Suicida, then dragging Callum through the crowd and tossing him into the fencing.
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Tsuji goes and helps Nagai up, Callum stands by the gate and seems to consider going back for more, but then waves it off.
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(Flirting with heeldom Callum is the most interesting he’s ever been as a character.)
Dick Togo, EVIL[w/Don Fale] def Katsuya Murashima, Hiroshi Tanahashi — (5:44, Scorpion Deathlock)
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Post-entrances, EVIL gets a mic. Their upcoming match will be Tana’s last G1 match ever (the implication being that he won’t move to the playoffs because EVIL will beat him), and EVIL will make it special by promising a fair fight.
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Tana starts with EVIL. Dick comes in to jump Tana from behind, but EVIL sees him and tells him to stop and go back. We do in fact get a clean start, second in a row for an HoT match which has to be a record.
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HoT Shenanigans level: high, but a different type of shenanigans. Dick and Don kept trying the usual, and EVIL kept stopping them and telling them to quit it.
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Post match, EVIL calls Tana in for a handshake which, after rightful hesitance, Tana accepts. There is no sneak attack, and the crowd pops when they realize that. There’s just a brief exchange of words, then EVIL and Dick slightly bow to Tana before leaving. (If you haven’t figured it out by now after the WK match, there’s a lot of real-life love between these two.)
Tomoaki Honma, Yuya Uemura def Gedo, David Finlay — (5:26, Armbar)
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During their entrance, Gedo misses catching Finlay’s shillelagh for what Finlay says is the first time.
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Finlay then casually disrupts Yuya’s entrance. While everyone’s getting ready he comments to Gedo about how small Honma’s trunks are, then he and Yuya end up starting.
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Another fine one.
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Post match, Yuya and Finlay have a brief staredown, and Finlay shoulder pushes Yuya as he’s leaving.
G1 B Block: El Phantasmo[w/Jado] (6 pts) def YOSHI-HASHI (8 pts) (point totals from before today’s results) — (12:30, Thunderkiss ‘86)
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This is ELP’s final tournament match, as he was meant to face Gabe on the last Block night.
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During his entrance ELP complains about the spotlights.
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The pre-lockup crowd poll is started by a YH fan, but the ELP fans win it pretty handily. ELP offers a handshake but YH says no.
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Pretty good but had a weird miscommunication moment towards the beginning.
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ELP ends his G1 with an improved record from every other points-based tournament he’s been in, and with the kid he does fanservice for as he’s leaving not no-selling him.
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I believe that by virtue of some powerful tiebreakers if he makes it to 10 points YH is alive as long one of Ren, ZSJ, or TAKE lose tonight; which is a scenario that needs to happen for the final night to be anything other than deciding where those three rank as the ones going through.
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Next/Final Block Matches: YH vs ZSJ
G1 B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. (10 pts) def Drilla Moloney (8 pts) — (14:01, triangle choke variant)
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While making his entrance, Zack gets right in Drilla’s face.
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Pretty fucking great.
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Post match they have a little bit of bants.
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As far as I can tell, Zack has now secured a spot in the playoffs, and I believe Drilla is basically eliminated (but not 100% on that one).
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Next/Final Block Matches: ZSJ vs YH, Drilla vs Shingo
G1 B Block: Shingo Takagi[w/Daiki Nagai] (6 pts) def Ren Narita (10 pts) — (17:10, Last of the Dragon)
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Ren steps up to the ropes while Shingo’s waiting to get in the ring, so that Kanemaru can come from behind to attack Shingo.
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Ren once again ended up with a bloody nose after hitting the northern lights suplex.
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HoT Shenanigans level: very high. Daiki Nagai did negate some of it, including at the very end.
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Post match, Shingo takes a big swig of Nobu’s whiskey and spits it in Ren’s face, then plays up that he’s drunk. He also grabs Ren’s forgotten push-up bar and does push-ups with it, and raises Nagai’s hand in victory.
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Shingo still has a very slim chance to make it through
as long as TAKE wins(this was wrong, update in the main event section). Ren is still in a pretty good spot. -
Next/Final Block Matches: Shingo vs Drilla, Ren vs TAKE
G1 B Block: Shota Umino (8 pts) def KONOSUKE TAKESHITA[w/Rocky Romero] (10 pts) — (25:46, Second Chapter)
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Hyper serious Shota today, who I believe has to win to stay in the running; and so has no time for fanservice beyond posing on the turnbuckle and doing the heart fingers. TAKE deliberately doesn’t look at him until they’re getting ready to start.
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Rocky tries to get a TAKESHITA chant going, but he makes the mistake of pounding the mat while he does it so the crowd just claps along to the rhythm instead.
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NGL I don’t really know how I felt about this one, folks. It definitely wasn’t bad by any means, but also didn’t grab me in any particular way. I’ll definitely be re-watching it at some point in the next couple days to see if my opinion changes.
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Shota is still alive.
Shingo is now out.Shingo has one possible scenario where he comes in third, he must tie at 10 with O-Khan, Ren, and Shota. Shota would be eliminated due to his losing record against the other three, which would leave Shingo/GOK/Ren in a dead tie that I assume would be broken via a three-way match. -
Victory promo from Shota: Uses Tana’s line of “NJPW has returned to (insert town here).” Then uses an Okada line. (IIRC not the first time he’s done this) Before the tourney started, Shota made it very clear to everyone, including TAKESHITA, that he needed to win this match to prove that NJPW is the best in the world. He did that today, and he’ll keep proving it every show until every NJPW show has a sold out crowd and it’ll be undeniable. He may slip or stumble along the way, but he’ll keep on fighting and will give everything he has for NJPW. TAKESHITA is awesome, and might be one of the toughest in the world. But it’s not any other company in the world that’s the best, not AEW that’s the best, it’s NJPW.
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Next/Final Block Matches: Shota vs GOK, TAKE vs Ren
——Block Standings——
A Block
Yuya Uemura — 10 points (5-3) — wins: Oleg, Callum, EVIL, Tana, Oiwa – losses: Taichi, Tsuji, SANADA
EVIL — 10 points (5-3) — wins: Callum, Tsuji, Taichi, Oiwa, Oleg – losses: SANADA, Yuya, Finlay
Yota Tsuji — 8 points (4-4) — wins: SANADA, Yuya, Oiwa, Oleg – losses: EVIL, Taichi, Tana, Finlay
Boltin Oleg — 8 points (4-4) — wins: Oiwa, Tana, SANADA, Callum – losses: Yuya, Tsuji, Finlay, EVIL
Ryohei Oiwa — 8 points (4-4) — wins: Finlay, Callum, Tana, Taichi – losses: Oleg, Tsuji, EVIL, Yuya
Callum Newman — 8 points (4-4) — wins: Tana, Finlay, SANADA, Taichi – losses: EVIL, Oiwa, Yuya, Oleg
Hiroshi Tanahashi — 8 points (4-4) — wins: Taichi, Finlay, Tsuji, SANADA – losses: Callum, Oleg, Oiwa, Yuya
David Finlay — 8 points (4-4) — wins: SANADA, Oleg, EVIL, Tsuji – losses: Oiwa, Taichi, Tana, Callum
——Eliminated——
SANADA — 6 points (3-5)
Taichi — 6 points (3-5)
B Block
——Qualified——
Zack Sabre Jr. — 12 points (6-2) — wins: Gabe (ff), ELP, TAKE, GOK, Shingo, Drilla – losses: Ren, Shota
——In Contention——
Ren Narita — 10 points (5-3) — wins: ZSJ, ELP, Gabe (forfeit), Shota, GOK – losses: YH, Drilla, Shingo
Shota Umino — 10 points (5-3) — wins: ELP, ZSJ, Gabe (ff), YH, TAKE – losses: Drilla, Ren, Shingo
TAKESHITA — 10 points (5-3) — wins: Gabe, GOK, Shingo, Drilla, YH – losses: ELP, ZSJ, Shota
YOSHI-HASHI — 8 points (4-4) — wins: Shingo, Ren, Drilla, Gabe (ff) – losses: GOK, Shota, TAKE, ELP
Drilla Moloney — 8 points (4-4) — wins: GOK, Shota, Gabe (ff), Ren – losses: YH, TAKE, ELP, ZSJ
GOK — 8 points (4-4) — wins: Shingo, Gabe (ff), YH, ELP – losses: Drilla, TAKE, ZSJ, Ren
——Eliminated——
Shingo Takagi — 8 points (4-4) — There is one possible scenario where he comes in third: a tie at 10 with O-Khan, Ren, and Shota. Shota would be eliminated due to his losing record against the other three, which would leave Shingo/GOK/Ren in a dead tie that I assume would be broken via a three-way match. This is so improbable that he’s basically out.
El Phantasmo — 8 points (4-5)
Gabe Kidd — 0 points (0-1) (matches actually wrestled) — Withdrawn due to injury
———
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by EffingKENTA