Yamagata sees second night for A and B Blocks
With G1 action now officially underway for all four blocks, night three of the tour comes to Yamagata on Tuesday July 18. Eight more matches will see some hotly anticipated bouts this evening.
Watch all of G1 Climax 31 live in English on NJPW World!
Main event: B Block- Kazuchika Okada (1-0) vs El Phantasmo (1-0)
Headlining in Yamagata is one of the most buzzworthy first time matchups in B Block. In Sapporo on Saturday night, El Phanatsmo’s come up on his own out of BULLET CLUB saw more struggles, a Blockbuster from YOSHI-HASHI weakening his neck and contributing to an opening loss. Meanwhile Kazuchika Okada was victorious over Great-O-Khan, setting him in good stead for a third consecutive G1 crown. As one of the most dynamic athletes in either weight class in NJPW, ELP has long felt himself capable of fighting ont he same level as the Rainmaker, but can he defeat the last boss of professional wrestling in Yamagata?
7th Match: A Block- SANADA (1-0) vs Shota Umino (0-0-1)
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA comes off his opening night win against Hikuleo to face Shota Umino, who went the 20 minute distance in a hard fought bout with Ren Narita at the weekend. In his quest to create a paradigm shift in NJPW, a win over the world champion will instantly make Umino undeniable, but can Shooter trump SANADA?
6th Match: B Block- YOSHI-HASHI (1-0) vs Will Ospreay (0-1)
Singles record: 1-0 Ospreay
After meetng near the end of their respective campaigns in 2022, YOSHI-HASHI and Will Ospreay face off in their second matches of G1 Climax 33. In Sapporo Saturday night, Ospreay went 0 for 1 after Taichi rocked him with a kick that seemed to throw off the US Champion’s sense of balance. YOSHI-HASHI was perfectly balanced when he used a new move in ‘Easy Pickings’ to put El Phantasmo away. Always ready to surprise pre-tournament favourites, will YOSHI-HASHI get even for defeat last year, or can Ospreay bounce back?
5th Match: A Block: Ren Narita (0-0-1) vs Yota Tsuji (0-1)
Singles record: 5-0 Narita
After his draw against Shota Umino on night one, Ren Narita faces his other fellow ‘Reiwa Musketeer’ in Yota Tsuji. Tsuji has been far from generous to Narita in his pre tournament interviews and in social media. Yet as Young Lions, the extra experience Narita had over the older Tsuji was evident, producing a five match win streak for the future Son of Strong Style. Narita will be fighting to show Tsuji that he’s still superior to the big man, while proving he has more than a ‘Shibata clone’ as Tsuji has derisorily maintained. After tsuji had to eat some sour words toward Kaito Kiyomiya on night one, what will happen on night three?
4th Match: B Block- Taichi (1-0) vs Tanga Loa (1-0)
After wins over Will Ospreay and KENTA respectively, Taichi and Tanga Loa head into their second campaign bouts tonight. Taichi and Loa would tangle several times in 2021, when a bitter feud broke out over the IWGP Tag Team Championships through the first half of that year between Dangerous Tekkers and Guerrillas of Destiny. Things are much different now, as G.o.D have set themselves on the Hontai path, and Taichi spearheaded Just Five Guys in the wake of Suzuki-Gun’s dissolution. Through their tag team encounters, Taichi and ‘T’ never went one on one- who emerges from this singles clash with two points?
3rd Match: A Block- Hikuleo (0-1) vs Gabe Kidd (0-1)
Singles record: 1-0 Hikuleo
Another battle between two men who have changed immeasurably since their last in ring meeting, Hikuleo takes on Gabe Kidd. Back in 2019 when both faced off in England, Hikuleo was BULLET CLUB’s young prospect, while Kidd was about to join LA Dojo and represent the Lion Mark. Hikuleo would find himself squeezed from the Club when his loyalty to the group or his family was tested, while Kidd would be angered at a perceived glass ceiling, the chip on his shoulder compelling him to cast morality aside and join the War Dogs. How will this fated in ring reunion play out?
2nd Match: B Block- Great-O-Khan (0-1) vs KENTA (0-1)
Singles record: 1-0 KENTA
As Great-O-Khan has struggled though his first two G1 entries, the Dominator has been intent on making third time lucky in tournament competition. It’s a difficult opponent for O-Khan in Yamagata, KENTA having gotten the better of the United Empire member in the G1 two years ago. Can he even that score to get to his first points tonight?
1st Match: A Block- Chase Owens (1-0) vs Kaito Kiyomiya (1-0)
The night’s action will kick off with Kaito Kiyomiya taking on Chase Owens. Sapporo saw a strong start for the NOAH representative; after a win of his own over Gabe Kidd Saturday, will Chase Owens keep the momentum going and upstage the Supernova?