G1 Climax 34 night 18 (August 17) Full card, preview
Main event: G1 Climax 34 Semifinal- Shingo Takagi vs Zack Sabre Jr
Singles record: 3–2 Takagi
G1 Climax A Block winner Zack Sabre Jr. will take on first round playoff winner Shingo Takagi in the main event tonight. This marks the third time that the two have met in the semifinal of a prestigious tournament; in 2009 it was the WxW 16 Carat in Germany, and in 2022 the New Japan Cup. Takagi was victorious in March of 2009 and went on to win the entire tournament, while Sabre had sufficient revenge 13 years later. Now it’s a semifinal rubber match of sorts, and this time with inarguably the highest stakes.
Shingo carries added momentum into the night, knowing that he defeated ZSJ during the league phase, and having repeated an earlier league victory against Great-O-Khan to work his way into this main event. Having won his last three singles matches in Sumo Hall, Takagi must be feeling good about his chances of avenging the defeat he incurred in his sole main event in the building to Will Ospreay in the Best of the Super Jr. 2019 final.
Conversely, malevolent spirits seems to circle around ZSJ when it comes to Ryogoku; both of his New Japan Cup victories in 2018 and 2022 were followed by defeat over the IWGP title in Sumo Hall. For years its been a reminder of the eternal British struggle, and that ‘it’s coming home’ has long been a hollow rallying cry. Could this year be different, or will the Summer of Shingo carry on to the finals?
7th Match: G1 Climax 34 Semifinal- Yota Tsuji vs David Finlay
Singles record: 1-1
A more direct rubber match in the other of our semifinals pits Yota Tsuji against IWGP Global Champion David Finlay.
The two combatants, who have traded wins in 2024 have very different visions of NJPW, but both share a common desire to make history. Inspired to ‘do something nobody has ever done before’, Tsuji wants to be the first man ever to win both the New Japan Cup and the G1 Climax in the same calendar year. Finlay meanwhile has already done what nobody has before in 2024, becoming the first, and then the third IWGP Global heavyweight Champion. Now declaring that his white and gold is ‘far above’ the status of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, Finlay has promised to main event Wrestle Kingdom with the Global title. Still one more match will separate both men from achieving their goals, but who will advance a step closer tonight?
6th Match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI vs United Empire (HENARE, Great-O-Khan & Francesco Akira)
The first round of the G1 playoffs Thursday in Makuhari didn’t go United Empire’s way as Shingo Takagi advanced past Great-O-Khan. Earlier in the night though, UE were victorious in tag team action against Los Ingobernables De Japon, with HENARE holding the high ground with his NEVER Openweight Championship over IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito. Naito took four losses over the course of his G1 campaign, including to Great-O-Khan; while he seeks to reassert himself as NJPW’s top champion, this six man tag may be an ideal time to do so. Meanwhile, with Washington DC showdown with Mustafa Ali confirmed, what statement will Hiromu Takahashi make tonight?
5th Match: Just Five Guys (DOUKI, Taichi & TAKA Michinoku) vs BULLET CLUB (Taiji Ishimori, Drilla Moloney & Clark Connors)
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion DOUKI returned to the ring after a summer break from the cerulean blue on Thursday, and it wasn’t long before someone stepped up to be the first challenger. Taiji Ishimori confronted Japones Del Mal saying that ‘you said if anybody had a problem with you as champion they should step up, and I’m stepping up’. DOUKI has beaten two of the ‘big three’ in the junior heavyweight establishment of late, with wins over El Desperado and Hiromu Takahashi, but the third of that three in Ishimori will represent a different challenge. The dominant IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Champions Clark Connors and Drilla Moloney return to the mix as well for what should be a hard fought trios bout.
4th Match: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Boltin Oleg, Tiger Mask & Ryusuke Taguchi vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL, SHO, Ren Narita, Yujiro Takahashi & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
Ten man tag team action see the Hontai forces unite to face HOUSE OF TORTURE. Hiroshi Tanahashi held dealing with H.O.T as one of the key ten points of his reign as President, and declared he wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty in that regard. After NEVER Openweight 6 man Champions Tanahashi, Toru Yano and Boltin Oleg took care of H.O.T in six man competition Thursday, they stopped a post match attack from the House later in the night as well. With sides even at five on five, do H.O.T have a chance against the forces of justice?
3rd Match: Shota Umino, El Phantasmo & Jado vs Konosuke Takeshita, Jeff Cobb & Callum Newman
Konosuke Takeshita’s alliance with the United Empire has been an uneasy one through his G1 campaign, but with his tournament now over, he stays with UE for this six man contest. Takeshita has been in high demand from factions across NJPW, who would have no issue with the Alpha staying around before returning to AEW rings, and a lot of that demand came from his memorable Korakuen battle with El Phantasmo. A heart to heart with Shota Umino backstage Thursday night saw the Roughneck encourage Phantasmo to keep his head up in tough times; will ELP find his smile again in Ryogoku?
2nd Match: Hirooki Goto & Tomoaki Honma vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee)
The ‘Mad Bastards’ team of Gabe Kidd and Jake Lee, fresh off a win against Francesco Akira and Jeff Cobb Thursday, face another tag team bout tonight. Hirooki Goto will be teaming with Tomoaki Honma rather than his regular Bishamon partner of YOSHI-HASHI; will this CHAOS/Hontai blend be cohesive enough to deal with Lee and Kidd?
1st Match: YOSHI-HASHI & Shoma Kato vs TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Robbie Eagles)
Mikey Nicholls and Robbie Eagles of TMDK are back in Japan, with Nicholls representing as double NJPW STRONG and IWGP Tag Team Champion as the duo face YOSHI-HASHI and Shoma Kato. YOSHI-HASHI will be working hard to remind Nicholls that Bishamon are still a force to be reckoned with in the tag team space, while Eagles looks to make his own mark in his first NJPW action since Best of the Super Jr.
