Last night for C Block
August 8 sees Yokohama Budokan play host to the last night of league action for C Block. With tensions high and the final less than a week away, who makes their move into the elite eight?
Watch all of G1 Climax 33 live in English on NJPW World!
Main event: Shingo Takagi (3-2-1) vs EVIL (4-2)
Singles record: 2-0
A win or draw advances EVIL
A win advances Takagi
At heading into his last match, Shingo Takagi will have to lean on his prior 2-0 record against EVIL if he’s to make it through to the elite eight, and to spare the fans the irritation of EVIL’s brand of rule banding from making it into the elimination phase. EVIL’s dastardly approach has seen him to eight points with David Finlay and Mikey Nicholls his only blotches. Takagi needs to add one more to take his Elite Eight place Thursday in Chiba.
8th Match: Eddie Kingston (4-2) vs David Finlay (4-2)
Winner advances
With a victory over Tama Tonga this week in Hiroshima, Eddie Kingston has put himself in an unlikely position of controlling his own destiny in C Block. Win and he’s in, but that’s a tall order against the similarly eight points, and similarly needing a victory to advance in David Finlay.
Though this is a first time meeting, Finlay and Kingston are tied together by events in San Jose this February. After Kingston sent Switchblade jay White packing from NJPW, Finlay assaulted White with a shillelagh to assume the lead in BULLET CLUB. Will Finlay secure his place in the quarter finals by being more direct with the Mad King than he was with the Switchblade?
7th Match: Tama Tonga (3-2 -1) vs HENARE (2-4)
Tama must win
HENARE is mathematically eliminated
While HENARE was eliminated from proceedings over the weekend in Aichi, there could be no doubt as to the quality of his performances through his second G1, cemented with a win over Tomohiro Ishii. For Tonga, a loss to Eddie Kingston in Hiroshima has given him extremely long odds of advancement, in need of a win for himself and ideally a non finish for Finlay and Kingston later in the night. With one more to go, HENARE is not likely to be interested in the block math, nor Tama Tonga’s pursuit of greatness for Hontai. With the chance to pick up a final pair of points, HENARE will be going all out in Yokohama tonight.
6th Match: Tomohiro Ishii (1-5) vs Mikey Nicholls (2-4)
Both men are mathematically eliminated
With Mikey Nicholls and Tomohiro Ishii both out of the hunt, a fight for pride will kick off the league matches tonight. Neither man is lacking in pride, and will be putting all they have in the ring to protect it. Ishii wrestld the last NJPW match in the old Cultural Gymnasium in Yokohama, the pundits saying he literally brought the house down. Will the action do the same in Yokohama Coliseum?
5th Match: Togi Makabe, Master Wato & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, BUSHI & Yota Tsuji)
24 hours before Hiroshi Tanahashi and Tetsuya Naito lock horns in Shizuoka and our elite eight are finalised, the Ace and El Ingobernable meet in a six man preview. With Tsuji’s league campaign over for better or woorse at this point, the pressure is on for Shingo Takagi tonight, and Tetsuya Naito tomorrow to make the quarterfinal lineup.
4th Match: Hirooki Goto, YOH & Oskar Leube vs TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr., Shane Haste & Kosei Fujita)
Ahead of Zack Sabre Jr. and Hirooki Goto’s final league meeting in Shizuoka Wednesday, Goto recruits YOH and Young Lion Oskar Leube to face ZSJ, Shane Haste and Kosei Fujita. TMDK have certainly made an impressive mark through the tournament, and they look to make an impact ahead of a crucial final night of league action.
3rd Match: Shota Umino, Hikuleo & Jado vs Strong Style (Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & Ren Narita)
Yokohama’s favourite and most feared son, Minoru Suzuki returns to NJPW action alongside his Strong Style teammates to take on Shota Umino, Hikuleo and Jado. As A Block saw him eliminated before the final night of league action, things didn’t pan out int he way that Ren Narita had hoped. Now back alongside Suzuki and El Desperado, will he be able to launch a more positive campaign for the rest of his 2023?
2nd Match: Tomoaki Honma & Toru Yano vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Alex Coughlin & Gabe Kidd)
Toru Yano’s last league match Wednesday in Shizuoka will see him go up against Alex Coughlin. Without hope of advancing to the quarterfinals, the onus will be on BULLET CLUB’s War Dog to make a violent statement. NJPW STRONG Tag Team Championship partner Gabe Kidd is the perfect ally for Coughlin to do some heavy work on the front end tonight.
1st Match: Ryohei Oiwa & Kaito Kiyomiya vs United Empire (Jeff Cobb & Great-O-Khan)
Action kicks off with a unique tag battle, NOAH’s Kaito Kiyomiya teaming with NJPW Young Lion Ryohei Oiwa to face United Empire’s Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. No league implications here, but Jeff Cobb in particular wants to set himself in good stead before his league closer with Shane Haste Wednesday.
