We open with BALLISTIK BOYZ here to perform the G1 theme, with heavy lifting by their backing track.
My mortal enemy: the English ring announcer is here.
Zane Jay, Masatora Yasuda def Tatsuya Matsumoto, Shoma Kato — (6:27, Boston Crab)
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When the entrances are finished, the YLs start getting in their classmates’ faces. Matsumoto pushes Yasuda aside and he and Zane start.
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First win in Japan/post YL status for Zane.
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Post match, Yasuda and Jay clasp hands and bro hug. Yasuda then goes to the ropes to talk some trash down at Kato.
Satoshi Kojima, Taichi[w/TAKA Michinoku] def Katsuya Murashima, Togi Makabe — (7:14, Dangerous Backdrop)
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This is the first time TAKA’s been around since before J4/5G officially disbanded and folded into Hontai. TAKA was also part of the short-lived Kojimagun.
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Murashima steps up to get in Taichi’s face and starts shoving him. This was a singles match on the G1 Finals night last year; . They start.
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Pretty fun. Murshima is getting there and probably going on excursion by WK season at the latest.
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Post match, Kojima offers Taichi a handshake. TAKA comes in plays peacemaker, gesturing at Taichi to accept it.
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Taichi does. Crowd pops, Kojima pops. Everyone raises their hands.
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War Dogs theme hits. Finlay comes out. Finlay stops halfway down the ramp, gestures to the entrance. Music we’ve never heard before hits. We’re introduced to the Knock Out Brothers/K.O.B: Yuto Nakashima, who appears to be going by “Yuto-Ice”, and Oskar Leube, who appears to now be just OSKAR They’re in street clothes, and Yuto has cut his hair short and dyed it white while OSKAR’s hair is shoulder length.
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Finlay makes a throat slit gesture and gestures them towards the ring. Yuto and OSKAR head to the ring and dispose of Kojima and TAKA, then have a standoff with 1/2 of the Tag Champs, Taichi.
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Yuto takes Taichi out with a big punch. TAKA comes back in but OSKAR knocks him out. TAKA is victim of an assisted powerbomb.
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The lift up Taichi and OSKAR hits a last ride with Yuto kicking Taichi before it happens. Yuto picks up the tag title, and also calls out the other half of the Champs, Ishii.
Master Wato, YOH, Toru Yano def Ryusuke Taguchi, El Desperado, YOSHI-HASHI — (6:40, DIRECT DRIVE)
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Despe still isn’t completely on board with this, but he’s here.
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YOH decides to flirt with Despe instead of actually making his usual ring entrance.
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Once the announcements are over, Despe indicates he wants to start with YOH.
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Fun little “Despe hates fun but is paired with a fun guy” match.
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Post match, YOH grabs the Junior Title and sits in front of Despe, holds it up, then sets it on Despe’s chest and pats it condescendingly.
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Taguchi still wants a NEVER 6 shot, since he pinned Wato yesterday. He may have to find at least one new teammate, though.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Don Fale, SANADA def Tiger Mask, El Phantasmo[w/Jado], Boltin Oleg — (6:58, Elbow Drop)
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SANADA’s in the holographic duster vest. He’s got the guitar he smashed over Drilla’s head last night.
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The House wait until Boltin’s entrance announcement to strike. SANADA and ELP are left in the ring.
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ELP gets in control, yells at Milano on commentary to ask how to do the Paradise Lock, and does so successfully.
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HoT Shenanigans level: Moderate. Water bottle spot was the splash version.
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Post match, Boltin comes in and starts throwing punches at Fale. A brief exchange ends with Boltin coming out on top and Fale bailing. Boltin poses with the NEVER title and stares down Fale as he leaves.
Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino, Hiroshi Tanahashi def Jakob Austin Young, Callum Newman, Great-O-Khan — (8:24, Deadbolt Suplex Hold)
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In his Backstage Comments yesterday, GOK hinted that United Empire needs a big change, or this match may be the end of the group.
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Yuya, Tana, and Shota all posing together on the ramp as the top Heavyweight faces in Hontai was nice.
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Callum once again makes fun of Yuya’s sun pose by threatening to hug him.
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Post entrance, Callum steps up and “accidentally” calls Yuya “Tanahashi.” Then he steps up to Shota, and JAY steps up to Yuya, but GOK stays posing in his corner. Tana gets the message, and gestures his teammates into the corner.
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Shota trash talks to Callum by saying something like “your girlfriend okay?” which has to be a reference to the Shota/Gabe fight dirtsheet rumors.
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GOK starts with Tana.
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Another very fun match. Lots of seeds for the future being planted here.
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Post match, Shota goes over and starts very cheekily taunting/shit talking with Callum (think YOH style). Meanwhile Tana stares down GOK, who talks some trash and says he “has something to prove to Tanahashi.”
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Tana and Shota both go out into the crowd to do fanservice before leaving.
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In the Backstage Comments, Yano appears and challenges Tana to a 3-match series at the Noboribetsu show on the 15th. First match is a 6-man, then a regular tag, then a singles.
Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Drilla Moloney, David Finlay def Daiki Nagai, Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi — (10:10, Drilla Killa)
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Nagai comes out to the Young Lion music with a basic “Unaffiliated” tron. This is the first time the not-a-faction group has been all together for a tag match.
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Post entrances, War Dogs step up and start talking shit. Then they start barking, with Hiromu joining in. Takagi starts an “Oi” chant in response.
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Nagai pushes his teammates back, then steps up to Finlay and shoves him. The Dogs take offense, and Gedo is the one who ends up starting. There’s a brief Nagai chant.
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Undercard is on a roll, beyond the HoT match. Tsuji looked perfectly fine here. Finlay and Drilla had some nice teamwork at the end of the match.
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Post match, Shingo comes in and gets in a fight with Drilla. Gedo tries to back him up, but they get put down with a dual clothesline.
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Shingo gets a mic. Once again calls out Gabe Kidd for not being here. So maybe he should vacate the Global title? As for the War Dogs, you’re all bark and no bite. Shingo will put them all down. During this, Tsuji and Finlay were having a staredown.
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Hiromu/Ishimori and Tsuji/Finlay get back in the ring and start talking smack to each other. Shingo cheekily poses until Drilla gets in the ring to confront him. Looks like we have another faction… well technically group war on our hands.
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Finlay complains that they’re playing Shingo’s music even though the Dogs won.
DOUKI, SHO, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita def Hartley Jackson, Kosei Fujita, Ryohei Oiwa, Zack Sabre Jr. — (10:59, Hell’s Guillotine)
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Post entrances, SHO gets a mic. Runs down the dumb hicks if TMDK, this town of Ariake, BALLISTIK BOYZ, and especially Kosei Fujita.
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Fujita steals the mic. Acts like he’s going to talk, but then drops the mic and attacks. He and DOUKI stay in the ring to start; but SHO comes in quickly for a double team.
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Zack’s got tape on the back of his neck, took a few nasty bumps yesterday.
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HoT Shenanigans level: mid-high.
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Post match, Zack runs in and gets Ren in a rear naked choke. But The House come in to save Ren and start to decimate Zack; until Fujita saves him and chases HoT away. Fujita holds up the Junior Tag belts and taunts the Champs.
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Meanwhile Zack gets a chair and chases Ren up the ramp.
Masahiro Chono is here to be on Japanese commentary. He cuts a quick promo.
G1 35 Final: KONOSUKE TAKESHITA [w/Rocky Romero] (B3) def EVIL[w/the Full House minus Ren] (A1) — (26:26, Raging Fire)
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Everyone except Ren is here to backup EVIL. One would assume Zack and his chair caught up to Narita.
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HoT do heed the ref and back off into the crowd before the match starts.
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Hey so the crowd is at best 50/50 here. So those of you arguing that many NJPW fans don’t see him as an outsider, you’re wrong.
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They do start booing once the Shenanigans start… mostly. There is some cheering… and now is EVIL posing with the trophy and is getting cheered. I think NJPW may have misread their audience in booking this match.
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At one point TAKE finally retaliates by grabbing EVIL’s nose and gets booed. Later TAKE has him in a choke and the fans chant EVIL’s name.
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TAKE fucked up big time by slapping the mat with his hand while in the Scorpion Deathlock, making the crowd think he’d tapped out.
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HoT Shenanigans level: Half-and-half. The House were ejected. Then Ren showed up, but Zack came out to drag him away by the ankle. That was the end of the interference.
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Honestly this was pretty fucking rad and 100% worth watching, especially to hear how the crowd reacted to EVIL.
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The crowd kind of just completely goes quiet after the pin. Very polite applause for TAKE’s win announcement.
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The President of the G1 sponsor Yamada Infrarech presents him with the trophy, 3/7 of BALLISTIK BOYZ present him with the flag. TAKE is crying. I feel nothing.
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We finally get a TAKESHITA chant… but there was a competing chant I couldn’t quite make out.
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TAKE cuts a very emotional promo. He’s glad he became a professional wrestler. When he thinks of being a wrestler, he thinks of making dreams real. Anyone can become a wrestler if they commit to it. But one thing that you should know, is that I am the best professional wrestler that there is. I will show you something you’ve never seen before. So NJPW, the entire wrestling world, you haven’t seen anything yet. That is the message from The Alpha.
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In his Backstage Comments, TAKE says he wants to win the main event of the Tokyo Dome having walked in both G1 winner and as IWGP Champion. So he will likely not be waiting until WK to challenge Zack.
——G1 35 Semifinals——
KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (B3) vs Zack Sabre Jr. (B1)
Yota Tsuji (A3) vs EVIL (A1)
——G1 35 Quarterfinals——
Shota Umino (B2) vs Yota Tsuji (A3)
David Finlay (A2) vs KONOSUKE TAKESHITA (B3)
——Block Standings——
A Block
1st) EVIL — 12 points (6-3) — wins: Callum, Tsuji, Taichi, Oiwa, Oleg, Tana – losses: SANADA, Yuya, Finlay
2nd) David Finlay — 10 points (5-4) — wins: SANADA, Oleg, EVIL, Tsuji, Yuya – losses: Oiwa, Taichi, Tana, Callum
3rd) Yota Tsuji — 10 points (5-4) — wins: SANADA, Yuya, Oiwa, Oleg, Callum – losses: EVIL, Taichi, Tana, Finlay
——Eliminated (in order of Elim)——
Yuya Uemura — 10 points (5-4) — wins: Oleg, Callum, EVIL, Tana, Oiwa – losses: Taichi, Tsuji, SANADA, Finlay
Hiroshi Tanahashi — 8 points (4-5)
Boltin Oleg — 10 points (5-4) — wins: Oiwa, Tana, SANADA, Callum, Taichi – losses: Yuya, Tsuji, Finlay, EVIL
Callum Newman — 8 points (4-5)
Ryohei Oiwa — 8 points (4-5)
SANADA — 8 points (4-5)
Taichi — 6 points (3-6)
B Block
——Qualified——
1st) Zack Sabre Jr. — 14 points (7-2) — wins: Gabe (ff), ELP, TAKE, GOK, Shingo, Drilla, YH – losses: Ren, Shota
2nd) Shota Umino — 12 points (6-3) — wins: ELP, ZSJ, Gabe (ff), YH, TAKE, GOK – losses: Drilla, Ren, Shingo
3rd) TAKESHITA — 12 points (6-3) — wins: Gabe, GOK, Shingo, Drilla, YH, Ren – losses: ELP, ZSJ, Shota
——Eliminated (in order of Elim)——
Ren Narita — 10 points (5-4) — wins: ZSJ, ELP, Gabe (ff), Shota, GOK – losses: YH, Drilla, Shingo, TAKE
Shingo Takagi — 10 points (5-4) — wins: Gabe (ff), Shota, ELP, Ren, Drilla – losses: YH, GOK, TAKE, ZSJ
GOK — 8 points (4-5)
Drilla Moloney — 8 points (4-5)
YOSHI-HASHI — 8 points (4-5)
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