NJPW G1 Climax 34 - July 20 - August 18, 2024

[Apoho Creed]

Goto vs Finlay do I dare watch this Main Event knowing what might happen and be pissed about it?

 

[Chris]

Goto vs Finlay do I dare watch this Main Event knowing what might happen and be pissed about it?

It was one of my favorite matches of the tournament

 

[Apoho Creed]

If theirs a Fighting Spirit Award like Stardom has for the Grand Prix surely Goto could be the head leader or one of 2 or 3 guys in that running for me.

 

[Chris]

Updated standings:

A Block —

• Zack Sabre Jr. (6-2): 12 points
• EVIL (5-3): 10 points
• Tetsuya Naito (5-3): 10 points
• SANADA (4-4): 8 points
• Shingo Takagi (4-4): 8 points
• Great-O-Khan (4-4) 8 points
• Jake Lee (4-4): 8 points
• Gabe Kidd (3-5): 6 points
• Shota Umino (3-5): 6 points
• Callum Newman: (2-6): 4 points

B Block —

• Jeff Cobb (5-2): 10 points
• David Finlay (4-3): 8 points
• Konosuke Takeshita (4-3): 8 points
• Ren Narita (4-3): 8 points
• Hirooki Goto (4-3): 8 points
• Yota Tsuji (4-3): 8 points
• HENARE (3-4): 6 points
• Yuya Uemura (3-4): 6 points
• Oleg Boltin (2-5): 4 points
• El Phantasmo (2-5): 4 points

 

[Chris]

G1 Climax 34 night 14 (August 10) preview​

Sendai sees penultimate B Block bouts

The G1 is on the home stretch as August 10 sees the tour head to Sendai. Our five B Block bouts tonight will see the final league night take shape, but who will be in the top three when all is said and done?

Watch live in English on NJPW World!
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Main event: Yota Tsuji (4–3) vs Yuya Uemura (3–4)​

Singles record: 17–10–22 Tsuji

Uemura must win

Generational rivals Yota Tsuji and Yuya Uemura will meet up in our main event tonight to potentially shape the face of the B Block playoffs next week. Tsuji’s win over HENARE in Korakuen Hall has shifted the playoffs within reach, but Yuya Uemura has his back against the wall in a must win scenario in Sendai.

While Yuya Uemura’s emphatic victory over Tsuji at Wrestle Kingdom seemed to do much to address his win:loss gap to the LIJ member, the next month would see defeat in both a faction warfare gauntlet, and then in hair versus hair. Having built his way back from that soul crushing loss in Sapporo this February, will he be able to claim superiority in G1 competition tonight, or will Tsuji Gene Blast his way to the playoffs?
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7th Match: Jeff Cobb (5–2) vs David Finlay (4–3)​

It’s NJPW World TV vs IWGP Global Champion when David Finlay meets Jeff Cobb. The ten point scoring Cobb is a win ahead of th epace in B Block, and could be in position to cement his place in the playoffs a night early, that is if he can defeat Finlay.

The Rebel is reeling after an emotionally charged main event defeat to Hirooki Goto Wednesday, but his G1 is far from over. Should he join the Imperial Unit at ten, there will be all to play for on the final night, and the Global champ will have gained a massive potewntial tiebreak to boot.
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6th Match: Hirooki Goto (4–3) vs El Phantasmo (2–5)​

El Phantasmo is mathematically eliminated

Emotional scenes in Korakuen Hall on August 7 saw Hirooki Goto celebrate a huge step forward toward the playoffs with his son and daughter in tow. In another situation and another year, perhaps Goto’s paternal instincts would see him look to motivate rather than outright defeat El Phantasmo here in Sendai, but such will not be the case with so much at stake.

While this is the first singles meeting for Hirooki Goto and El Phantasmo, the two know each other very well for their exchanges over tag team gold and glory from last winter. El Phantasmo has had a very hard time separating himself mentally from the mix as a tag team competitor and back to a singles and self doubt may be at its maximum here in this contest. After giving absolutely all he had in a stunning display against Konosuke Takeshita, ELP still left defeated and mathematically eliminated. Can he at least finish a difficult G1 strong?
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5th Match: HENARE (3–4) vs Ren Narita (4–3)​

Singles record: 2–0 HENARE

HENARE must win

HENARE and Ren Narita have clashed in the past, both times when narita was a Young Lion in much the same way HENARE had wins over a Young Lion Yota Tsuji back in the day. In Korakuen earlier this week, HENARE saw just how much Tsuji had grown as the Gene Blaster gave Tsuji his first win over the Maori Warrior. The precedent may be set for Narita to do the same and eliminate HENARE from the running in the process, but the United Empire member will have other plans. Can HENARE’s Mana overcome Narita’s brzaen disrespect?
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4th Match: Boltin Oleg (2–5) vs Konosuke Takeshita (4–3)​

Boltin is mathematically eliminated

Defeat to Jeff Cobb in Korakuen this week has meant that a very impressive debut G1 for Boltin Oleg has ended in mathematical elimination. For now then, the goal is for the Big Man From Kazakhstan to end his run as string as he started it, and that means taking down Konosuke Takeshita. A win for the Alpha over El Phantasmo Wednesday has put The Alpha in good shape, but can he take another giant stride toward the finals?
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3rd Match: Tomoaki Honma & Shota Umino vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Dick Togo)​

Shota Umino and EVIL are set for a critical league deciding final meeting on Monday. After a mid league collapse, EVIL will be working double time to ensure he isn’t spoiled by Umino, who will have a lot of fans on Monday despite his mathematical elimination. Can the Roughneck put a counter plan in place through this tag preview?
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2nd Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & BUSHI) vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Jake Lee, Gabe Kidd & Gedo)​

Starting off the action, a preview of Monday’s last league clash for Jake Lee and Shingo Takagi. Still fighting to keep their G1 alive, it’ll be a critical bout for the Dragon and the Smart Bastard in Nagaoka. In the meantime, after a league full of heated encounters, Gabe Kidd interacts again with two of his more bitter enemies in Tetsuya Naito and Takagi.
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1st Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano & Katsuya Murashima vs United Empire (Great-O-Khan, Callum Newman & Francesco Akira)​

Before Great-O-Khan and Callum Newman’s last matches of the league against Tetsuya Naito and Gabe Kidd respectively, a six man bout sees the United Empire go up against Hontai opposition.​

 

[Chris]

Looking ahead to the A Block last day, no way Naito loses to O-Khan but I could see Shingo beating Jake Lee which would put him in over Evil with the tiebreak...but Evil is over Naito so that's messy. Evil will probably beat Shota to prevent that sadly

So that's ZSJ, Evil, Naito in the playoffs in that order for them

 

[Sky]

Damn that Yuya early surge was a false dawn huh

 

[Roy Mustang]

Looking ahead to the A Block last day, no way Naito loses to O-Khan but I could see Shingo beating Jake Lee which would put him in over Evil with the tiebreak...but Evil is over Naito so that's messy. Evil will probably beat Shota to prevent that sadly

So that's ZSJ, Evil, Naito in the playoffs in that order for them

I think Evil loses to give Shota something and Naito beats O-Khan. I think it will be ZSJ, Naito and Shingo in that order (Sanada might win to add to the mix in the tiebreaker which I think comes down to match time as they are 1-1 against each other then)

 

[Chris]

"It was not Bushi that attacked, it was Yoshinobu Kanemaru in a Bushi mask" House of Torture stealing Sabs's gimmick @Hidden Blaze

 

[Chris]

Holy shit Boltin won

 

[Chris]

Damn Goto lost He might not make it

 

[Chris]

 

[Canadian Dragon]

what in the fuck lol

 

[Chris]

Standings with one night of each block left:

A Block —

• Zack Sabre Jr. (6-2): 12 points
• EVIL (5-3): 10 points
• Tetsuya Naito (5-3): 10 points
• SANADA (4-4): 8 points
• Shingo Takagi (4-4): 8 points
• Great-O-Khan (4-4) 8 points
• Jake Lee (4-4): 8 points
• Gabe Kidd (3-5): 6 points
• Shota Umino (3-5): 6 points
• Callum Newman: (2-6): 4 points

B Block —

• David Finlay (5-3): 10 points
• Jeff Cobb (5-3): 10 points
• Ren Narita (5-3): 10 points
• Konosuke Takeshita (4-4): 8 points
• Hirooki Goto (4-4): 8 points
• Yota Tsuji (4-4): 8 points
• Yuya Uemura (4-4): 8 points
• HENARE (3-5): 6 points
• Oleg Boltin (3-5): 6 points
• El Phantasmo (3-5): 6 points

 

[Chris]

G1 Climax 34 night 15 (August 12) Preview​

Last night of A Block action

It’s the last night of A Block action on August 12, as the G1 hits Nagaoka. With these ninth league matches, the top three point scorers will be determined, with second and third place finishers set to face off in Makuhari Thursday to determine the G1 semifinal.

Watch all the action LIVE in English on NJPW World!
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Main event: Tetsuya Naito (5–3) vs Great-O-Khan (4–4)​

Singles record: 1–1

Tetsuya Naito advances with a win
Great-O-Khan must win
Great-O-Khan’s biggest win in the early part of his United Empire career came at the start of the 2021 New Japan Cup over Tetsuya Naito. Then a referee stoppage shot the Dominator to prominence in that tournament, but Naito would get his win back one month later. Since then, the two haven’t touched in singles competition; now Naito holds the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and O-Khan is looking to complete a run from four losses down to the playoffs that can only be described as Naito-esque in fashion. Is O-Khan’s destiny to repeat history and take the biggest victory of his career, or will the World Heavyweight Champion’s prowess simply be too great for the Dominator to surpass?
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8th Match: Shota Umino (3–5) vs EVIL (5–3)​

Singles record: 1–0 EVIL

EVIL advances with a win
Umino is mathematically eliminated
The complete inverse of Great-O-Khan in the main event, EVIL won his first five contests and seemed a shoo-in for first place, only to collapse down the stretch. Now, he’s still in control of his destiny, despite dropping three in a row. A win advances the King of Darkness, but a loss will put him in dire straits; that means Shota Umino will have more fans than ever, even as he’s mathematically eliminated.

Shota Umino’s 2024 has been plagued with the presence of HOUSE OF TORTURE, and in February, the Roughneck suffered a painful loss at the hands of the King of Darkness and Dick Togo. From there, a hip and lower back injury has led to a tournament full of ups and downs, and with more downs than ups leading to his elimination. If Umino is truly to carry NJPW in the future as its prospective Ace, he must vanquish the ghosts of the year to date, and that means defeating NJPW’s most malevolent spirit tonight.
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7th Match: Shingo Takagi (4–4) vs Jake Lee (4–4)​

Shingo Takagi must win, with a loss for EVIL or Naito
Jake Lee is mathematically eliminated
Even when you put the points on the board enough in G1 Climax competition to match with a qualifying score, it’s not just what results you get, but who you get them against. With SANADA being Jake Lee’s only win in the top flight of A Block, there is no tie break scenario that would put him through. Yet the Smart Bastard will have a plan in mind to put Shingo Takagi out of the running. Takagi has control of his destiny somewhat; most tiebreaks at ten points would put him through thanks to his impressive victories over EVIL, Naito and O-Khan. After Lee eliminated Umino in Yokohama though, will Takagi be next?
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6th Match: SANADA (4–4) vs Zack Sabre Jr. (6–2)​

Singles record: 3–3–1

Zack Sabre Jr. has secured first place in A Block
SANADA must win
Familiar foes Zack Sabre Jr. and SANADA face off with Sabre’s spot in the semifinals secure, and SANADA’s odds of making the playoffs very long. Though keen rivals from their first meeting in the New Japan Cup in 2018, this is their first singles clash in 2021, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.

SANADA and Zack Sabre Jr. both have been unable to deny an affinity for one another and their respective styles of professional wrestling. Affinity for the town of Nagaoka is also high for both men as well; this is the scene of some of Sabre’s greatest successes stemming from his 2018 New Japan Cup victory, and ZSJ has never lost a singles match in this town. SANADA meanwhile was born and raised in the region, but has sampled the highs and lows of victory and defeat in front of his home crowd; still his 2023 New Japan Cup win here has to rank in the top moments of his career, and one he seeks to reenact tonight. Should SANADA stand victorious today, he will still need a lot of help, and the potential of a tie, but he will give all he has to do what he can and put the last points on the board.
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5th Match: Gabe Kidd (3–5) vs Callum Newman (2–6)​

Both men are mathematically eliminated
A battle of Britain ends the respective campaigns for Callum Newman and Gabe Kidd tonight. Kidd arguably had the match of the tournament with Zack Sabre Jr. in Yokohama, but he was defeated in the end, his hopes of making the top three dashed. Kidd will be furious in Nagaoka, and Newman will be the object of his ire; if the young Prince of Pace can survive the Mad (in more ways than one) Man, he might be able to capitalise and come away with two last points.

(undercard match order to depend on B Block standings)
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Guerrillas of Destiny (Jado & El Phantasmo) vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gedo & David Finlay)​

One time World Class Tag Team Jado and Gedo will face off as El Phantasmo and David Finlay prepare for their Hamamatsu league closer. ELP’s difficult G1 run ended in elimination at the hands of Konosuke Takeshita, but the Headbanga has promised to finish strong in his final bouts, and to set that pace in this tag preview.
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Hirooki Goto & Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Los Ingobernables De Japon (Yota Tsuji & BUSHI)​

While Yota Tsuji and Hirooki Goto have their minds on HENARE and Jeff Cobb respectively for their league closers to come in Hamamatsu, they face each other instead in this tag bout. Goto’s victory over Yota Tsuji in a hard fought main event earlier in the tournament led to the triumphant warcry of ‘the G in G1 stands for Goto!’, and the fans have been on the emotional ride with him evet since. Yet Tsuji wants to dispel that loss before he shoots to make the playoffs. Will he put some business from earlier in the campaign to bed, or will Goto be in winning form?
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Konosuke Takeshita, Jeff Cobb, HENARE & Francesco Akira vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)​

Eight man action sees HOUSE OF TORTURE in full effect to take on Konosuke Takeshita and the United Empire. Ahead of Narita versus Takeshita to come, H.O.T are sure to set a violent theme, and the returning Yujiro and SHO may see alarm bells ringing for Umino and EVIL later on.
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Toru Yano & Boltin Oleg vs Yuya Uemura & TAKA Michinoku​

Before Boltin oleg and Yuya Uemura face off in their league finale, Toru Yano and TAKA Michinoku join the mix for a tag team preview. Who sets the pace in this battle of strength and technique?​