First of two nights in Ota
Friday July 25 sees the G1 make its first Tokyo stop in the historic Ota ward Gymnasium. A Block are back in the spotlight, with five block matches to come, and the midway point coming fast.
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Main event: Hiroshi Tanahashi (1-2) vs David Finlay (1-2)
Despite David Finlay being in the NJPW sphere for over a decade now, and with two and a half years at the head of BULLET CLUB, he has never battled Hiroshi Tanahashi in singles action. That changes tonight in Ota, where the Ace faces the Rebel at the top of the card. It's been a mixed start to the G1 for both men; after Tanahashi's victory in his first bout over Taichi, damage heading into night two saw defeat at the hands of Callum Newman, and the power of Boltin Oleg led to his second loss in a row. Finlay meanwhile recovered from a night one loss to Ryohei Oiwa to score a match two win over SANADA, before Taichi's toughness saw the Holy Emperor edge out the Rebel. Who can win out as the battle for control of A Block heats up?
9th Match: Yota Tsuji (2-1) vs Ryohei Oiwa (2-1)
In what's sure to be a hot semi main event, Yota Tsuji and Ryohei Oiwa go one on one for the first time. Back during World Tag League, and again in Korakuen Hall exchanges since, Oiwa and Tsuji locking horns has always seen a lot of aggression from both sides, and a lot of fervour from the fans to boot. Tonight is their first singles matchup, and at four points for Oiwa and Tsuji both, a crucial one for both men. One will take at least a joint lead of A Block tonight, but who will it be?
8th Match:Taichi (2-1) vs EVIL (2-1)
Singles record: 1-0 EVIL
For the first time in four years, and only the second ever, Taichi faces EVIL in singles competition. After wins over Yuya Uemura and David Finlay back to back, Taichi sits at four points, while EVIL's HOUSE OF TORTURE derby in Sendai Wednesday saw his undefeated record fall to 2-1. While Taichi has only wrestled EVIL in a singles setting once, he has plenty of previous with HOUSE OF TORTURE as a whole, and will be mentally ready for Dick Togo and Don Fale's inevitable presence. Will he be physically ready to deal with it though?
7th Match: Yuya Uemura (-) vs Callum Newman (1-2)
Yuya Uemura transitions from main events with his senior in Taichi and contemporary in Yota Tsuji to face a junior figure in Callum Newman for his fourth G1 bout. Yet while Newman is significantly younger than Uemura, he's not lacking in big match experience, and not entirely in results either. A second night win over Hiroshi Tanahashi could do much for Callum's mentality tonight, especially as Uemura himself fell to the Ace last month at Dominion. Will he be able to quell the Heat Storm in Ota tonight?
6th Match: Boltin Oleg (2-1) vs SANADA (1-2)
Big Man From Kazakhstan Boltin Oleg seeks to power himself to six points as he faces the currently X SANADA tonight. SANADA might be the Cold Blooded Snake, but a hot blooded eagerness to use his classical instincts rather than his recently adopted dirty tactics brought him a pair of defeats to start the G1. Then in Sendai Tuesday, a HOUSE OF TORTURE derby with EVIL resulted in a surprise win for SANADA. Now, can the Cold Blooded Snake follow up from his quick thinking victory, or fresh after a second career win over Hiroshi Tanahashi, will the Big Man From Kazakhstan move closer to pole position in A Block?
5th Match: Daiki Nagai & Shingo Takagi vs Don Callis Family (Rocky Romero & Konosuke Takeshita)
Saturday in Ota, we'll be in for a hard hitting roller coaster of a bout when Konosuke Takeshita takes on Shingo Takagi. Tonight's preview will see Daiki Nagai looking to continue establishing himself as an Unaffiliated player; with Rocky Romero and the Don Callis Family constantly recruiting, might there be ulterior motives at play behind this tag bout as well?
4th Match: Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Shota Umino reforms his World Tag League tandem with Tomoaki Honma in the night's fourth tag preview to face HOUSE OF TORTURE. The Roughneck's bitter feud with Ren Narita saw violent battles in early 2024, and while distance between the two saw them mainly out of one another's sight, they clearly have not been out of mind; expect a heated and hate filled preview tonight.
3rd Match: Jado & El Phantasmo vs TMDK (Hartley Jackson & Zack Sabre Jr.)
There will be much less hate involved, but certainly no love lost in our third match of the night. El phantasmo and Zack Sabre Jr. have a mutual respect and friendship away from the ring that will evaporate when the bell sounds for their first singles match in the cerulean blue Saturday. Who can get the upper hand before then?
2nd Match: War Dogs (Gedo & Gabe Kidd) vs War Dogs (Taiji Ishimori & Drilla Moloney)
A difficult week is putting things mildly for Gabe Kidd, who hyperextended his knee Saturday in his first G1 bout and has since had to weight up his physical condition with his mental desire to have the biggest matches of his tournament campaign. Kidd will not want to pass up the chance to wrestle a man he considers his brother in Drilla Moloney though. That will be the case Saturday in Ota, and if the Mad man is ready to go, an all War Dogs tag preview awaits in our second bout.
1st Match: Shoma Kato & YOSHI-HASHI vs United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Jakob Austin Young)
Starting off the night's action, YOSHI-HASHI and Great-O-Khan engage in a preview of their Saturday clash. With Jakob Austin Young and Shoma Kato filling out the teams for this Hontai and United Empire clash, who will set the pace?
