G1 Climax 34 night 8 (July 31) Preview
Yamaguchi sees B Block action
The G1 Climax rolls on to Yamaguchi on July 31 as B Block moves past the midway point of the tournament. Who can lead the table as we get on to the back end of the campaign?
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Main event: Konosuke Takeshita (3–1) vs David Finlay (2–2)
A stunning debut G1 has put Konosuke Takeshita joint top of the B Block standings, and with a perfect record so far against champions. Should Takeshita want shot at NJPW World TV Champion Jeff Cobb or NEVER Openweight Champion HENARE in his future, the opportunity awaits. Yet the Alpha would like one more potential chance in his future, against the Global Heavyweight Champion. Having won his last two, the Savage King is buiilding momentum that he is not going to give up with Takeshita, and the will of both to win this one should lead to a heated encounter.
8th Match: Hirooki Goto (2–2) vs Ren Narita (2–2)
Hirooki Goto headed into this year’s G1 with the express aim of stopping the next generation coming up ahead of him. With a main event win over Yota Tsuji Sundaym, he was finally able to triumphantly bellow that the ‘G in G1 is for Goto,’ and while time will tell whether that oft stated catchphrase is finally accurate for the first time in 16 years, he has another young man to put in his place tonight. Ren Narita put together a spirited bout against David Finlay in his own way, but tried to fight dirty against a man who has fighting dirty in his blood. The same can’t be said for Goto, but the veteran has seen and overcome every trick in the book before, and Yamaguchi would love to see the Aramusha run continue strong.
7th Match: El Phantasmo (1–3) vs Jeff Cobb (2–2)
Singles record: 1–0 Phantasmo
After dropping matches two and three of his campaign, Jeff Cobb got back on the winning track in Fukuoka Sunday, stopping the win streak of Yuya Uemura and getting himself to four points. It puts Cobb on the upswing tonight, while El Phantasmo, who looked like he was starting to build some steam after his first win against Yota Tsuji, is back on the downturn. After a loss to Boltin Oleg, ELP has to get his act back together against the double tough World TV Champion, who is determined not to lose another match in this year’s G1.
The hsitory books throw up one prior meeting, and a victory for ELP over Cobb way back in 2018 in the UK, long before Phantasmo was even in NJPW competition. Will history repeat six years on, or will ELP’s annus horribilis continue?
6th Match: Yuya Uemura (3–1) vs HENARE (2–2)
Both Yuya Uemura and HENARE will go into Yamaguchi with painful losses in their recent past. Uemura’s hot streak to start the tournament ended at the hands of Jeff Cobb Sunday, while HENARE fell to Konosuke Takesdhita for his second loss in a row. Both need to pick up strong tonight, with an interesting link in their not too distant history.
HENARE’s NEVER Openweight Championship reign came at the expense of Shingo Takagi, all stemming for a challenge issued at Resurgence- after Shingo had successfully defended against Yuya Uemura. Had things worked out differently, it would have been HENARE wrestling Uemura for the NEVER gold in June, and the Heat Storm wants to show that had that been the case, Uemura would have been victorious.
5th Match: Boltin Oleg (2–2) vs Yota Tsuji (1–3)
While this is the first singles meeting between Boltin Oleg and Yota Tsuji to kcik off the night’s league competition, the two have gotten to know one another quite well over the last few months. Boltin, Toru Yano and Hiroshi Tanahashi traded the NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag team Championships over a pair of events to kick off the summer, and both times, Boltin and Tsuji’s interactions provided the headlines.
Now they get the ring to themselves, and while Boltin is full of confidence after a big second win of his campaign, Yota Tsuji finds himself in the humbling position of being effectively last in B Block- his two points sees him event with El Phantasmo, and ELP defeated Tsuji last week in block competition. Tsuji’s G1 isn’t over yet, but a fourth loss would be severely damaging to the LIJ member, who needs to bounce back hard, through Boltin to start.
4th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi) vs TMDK (Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita)
Saturday night will see a critical sixth block match for Shingo Takagi and Zack Sabre Jr. ZSJ has stated that if he can defeat the Dragon in Osaka, ‘the path should be clear for me to win the tournament’, but it’s a big ask against difficult competition, a competition that starts with this tag team bout.
3rd Match: Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino vs Just Five Guys (SANADA & TAKA Michinoku)
Shota Umino wants to avenge his 2023 G1 loss to SANADA Saturday in Osaka in a key mid table clash. Who can get the upper hand in this tag preview?
2nd Match: United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Dick Togo)
Before Great-O-Khan can get his hands on EVIL one on one Saturday, tag team preview action in Yamaguchi. EVIL goes from Callum Newman in Fukuoka Monday to O-Khan in Osaka Saturday, and nothing would make the world happier than O-Khan getting much needed momentum at H./O.T expense.
1st Match: Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee)
Gabe Kidd will be wrestling Tetsuya Naito in Osaka Saturday, while Jake Lee will face Callum Newman. The night’s opener Wednesday though will see Young Lions Kato and Murashima as sacrificial lambs for a hard hitting War Dogs combination.
