Pre-Show: Tatsuya Matsumoto vs Zane Jay — (Time Limit Draw, 10:00)
- Matsumoto left applying the crab when the time limit expired, and he keeps it on an extra couple seconds.
Pre-show: Daiki Nagai, Katsuya Murashima def Masatora Yasuda, Shoma Kato — (8:21, Boston Crab)
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In our last run of this match, Nagai pinned Yasuda in 9:18. Yasuda immediately gets right up on Nagai’s face, but Daiki ignores him until the ref separates them enough for Nagai to get a good slap in. They start the match.
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I do recommend watching this full match, but at least watch the last ~2 minutes of it.
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In has Backstage Comments, Nagai again mentions his desire to get accepted by the “Unaffiliated” crew (aka the technically-not-a-faction team of former LIJ members); albeit more subtly than after the last show. I’m expecting more development very soon for this, as I could see him being a tag partner for the group during the G1 tour.
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Meanwhile Shoma Kato says in his Comments that he wants to go on excursion in Mexico.
Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Yujiro Takahashi, Ren Narita, SANADA, EVIL[w/Dick Togo] def Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomoaki Honma, Boltin Oleg, Yuya Uemura, Shota Umino — (8:38, EVIL)
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Shota and Ren are in B Block; Yuya, Boltin, EVIL, and SANADA are all in A.
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HoT wait until the announcements are finished to jump the faces. Ren and Shota; former yaoi bait tag partners; are left to start.
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HoT Shenanigans level: moderate.
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Guch Play level: mild, but present.
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Narita and his push-up bar are once again the difference maker, after a ref distraction from Nobu.
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Post match, Ren attacks Umino, then goes back to the ring to help the rest of the House finish beating down the rest of Hontai.
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SANADA stashes his guitar under the ring before leaving. We’ll see if that’s for the Juniors or the Cowboy.
Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, Shingo Takagi def Hartley Jackson, Ryohei Oiwa, Zack Sabre Jr. — (9:50, Pumping Blaster [his tag move with Shingo])
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Tsuji and Oiwa are in A Block, Shingo and ZSJ in B.
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Shingo decides to start and calls out Zack.
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Very fun little match.
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Post match, the two G1 pairs have brief confrontations; then Zack also taunts Tsuji (his opponent in last years G1 finals).
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As the Unaffiliated are leaving, Nagai comes out. He stands in front of them and takes off his NJPW shirt. Shingo, then Hiromu, then Tsuji all accept him, and they leave together.
Hiroshi Tanahashi Final Road ~Kinship~ & Tiger Mask 30th Anniversary: Hiroshi Tanahashi def Tiger Mask — (9:39, High Fly Flow)
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Quick handshake before they start.
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This was a match. They were both trying, but there’s only so much left in Tiger’s tank.
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Post match, Tana shakes Tiger’s hand and helps him up, and they play Tiger’s music.
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In his Backstage Comments, Tiger announces he’ll retire in July 2026.
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Nagai is back as a ringside attendant, now wearing one of the Unaffiliated shirts.
G1 A Block Last Chance Play-in Gauntlet: Taichi def Satoshi Kojima, Chase Owens, Tomohiro Ishii — (17:33 [total match time], Black Mephisto)
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This is a traditional singles gauntlet match, with the next competitor coming out after one of the two is pinned. We start with Chase and Kojima.
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Chase pins Koji with Last Testament (and some buffoonery).
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Taichi starts making his entrance, but SANADA attacks him from behind. Does the Milano spot before tossing him in the ring for Chase.
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Eventually SANADA gets involved again, and goes for that guitar he’d stashed. But Ishii comes out to help his tag partner and negates SANADA.
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Taichi pins Chase with a jackknife. Chase continues to attack him, but Ishii again makes the save him. The YLs haul Chase backstage and SANADA follows.
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Ishii waits while Taichi recovers, and encourages him to get back up and fight.
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Give or take the Cowboy shit, but definitely watch the final Taichi vs Ishii segment of this.
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Post match, Taichi starts crying. Eventually he rolls over to take Ishii’s hand and talk with him. Ishii rolls away and out so Taichi can properly celebrate.
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Taichi promo: He didn’t just now win the G1, but it felt like he did. It was a tough year after not making it last year, but now he’s back in the G1 thanks to all his supporters. Maybe for the first time someone who wasn’t even meant to be in the tournament will make it all the way to the top this year.
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Notable people Taichi shares a block with are SANADA, Yuya, and Tanahashi.
IWGP Junior Tag titles: DOUKI, SHO[c] def Master Wato, YOH — (13:52, Suplex de La Luna)
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SHO promo. Talks shit about YOH’s rice bag jacket along with Korakuen… but YOH snatches the mic away and he and Wato attack HoT.
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YOH gets both Torturers in the Paradise Lock, then gets the crowd to chant for the rice brand he’s repping before he and Wato dropkick the buttons to release the House. HoT get back in control of the match less than a minute later.
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HoT Shenanigans level: pretty dang high. Yuj and Nobu came out to interfere, Yano came out to negate them and drag them away. We saw the debut of some kind of metal sheet as a new Torture tool.
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Post match, SHO and DOUKI also hit YOH with the sheet.
IWGP Junior title: El Desperado[c] def Kosei Fujita — (19:32, Numero Dos [particularly nasty variant])
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Fuj has a fancy new grey and white fur coat.
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Despe’s in white with red and silver accents. I think it’s new but don’t quote me on it.
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Excellent. Despe’s chest got chopped bloody pretty early on.
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Post submission, they finally clearly show ZSJ up in the balcony watching. He’s looking pensive.
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Despe promo. Thanks Fujita for a hell of a match. Says that Fujita was willing to wait for him to fight Jun Kasai instead of taking his shot at Dominion, and Despe is very grateful for that. There’s a lot of talk about changing the guard, new history. Well Fujita made history as the youngest BOSJ winner. But the old guard like Despe are still here and still waiting to be surpassed. Now Despe will focus on whoever’s next to challenge.
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*Show number in post title is only counting televised shows, to avoid confusion.
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by EffingKENTA