G1 Climax 34 night 2 (July 21) Preview
Day two of Opening Weekend
The second day of G1 Opening Weekend sees nine more matches from both A and B Block in Osaka. After night one’s big start, who can keep up the pace, and who will already be in catchup mode?
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Main event: B Block- Yota Tsuji (0–1) vs David Finlay (0–1)
Singles record: 1–0 Finlay
The main event sees Yota Tsuji take on IWGP Global Champion David Finlay in B Block. When Yota Tsuji won the New Japan Cup in march, the biggest dissenting voice was David Finlay’s. The Rebel felt he was in line to take the spring tournament, but when he was pulled due to health concerns, Finlay felt Tsuji had a clear path to the trophy. That led to a singles meeting at Dontaku, one that Finlay won with an opporune shillelagh shot, and one that set him up to be reunited with Global gold one day later.
Now Tsuji fights for revenge on the champion, a winning end to his opening weekend, and a win over a current champion in Finlay. Who will leave Osaka with their hand raised?
8th Match- A Block- Tetsuya Naito (0–1) vs Zack Sabre Jr. (1–0)
Singles record: 7–4 Naito
Tetsuya Naito and Zack Sabre Jr. have previous stretching all the way back to Sabre’s debut G1 in 2017. There’s a lot of previous for the two men to draw from over the years; for Sabre, preventing Naito from emerging from the group stage in 2018 or defeating El Ingobernable in the 2022 New Japan Cup final. For Naito, recent past is in his favour, three wins in a row against ZSJ including an embarrassing sub two minute result at the end of the G1 in 2022, followed by a victory over Sabre on British turf at Royal Quest II, and then another win on Naito’s adopted home turf in Hiroshima last year.
Yet Sabre will find greatest comfort, and Naito most distress, in G1 Climax 31. Then the tournament started as it does this year in Osaka, and on the first night of competition, a brutal submission hold granted a ZSJ victory, and put Naito on the shelf for the rest of the tournament. Will history of three years ago repeat itself, or will more recent past be key to Naito victory?
7th Match: A Block- Shota Umino (0–1) vs Shingo Takagi (1–0)
Singles record: 1–0 Takagi
After facing Callum Newman on night one, Shota Umino has former IWGP World Heavyweight Championship competition in Shingo Takagi on night two. Shingo and Shota have locked horns once before, way back in 2019 when Umino was still a Young Lion. Very different circumstances surround this second block match for both men, with Takagi looking to follwo on from his main event night one with a win over the younger Umino.
6th Match: B Block- Hirooki Goto (0–1) vs Yuya Uemura (1–0)
A first time singles match for Hirooki Goto and Yuya Uemura is sixth on the lineup in Osaka. Earlier this April, Uemura’s first career title match was in a challenge alongside SANADA to then IWGP Tag Team Champions Bishamon. The loss Uemura took that night in Taiwan will act as strong motivation tonight in his second B Block matchup.
5th Match: A Block- Jake Lee (1–0) vs EVIL (1–0)
After facing Gabe Kidd on night one, EVIL goes back to back with matches against War Dogs members, tonight taking on the newest acquisition Jake Lee. As intra BULLET CLUB intrigue continues, Lee looks to make a further mark in his new factional home against NJPW’s most hated man.
4th Match: B Block- El Phantasmo (0–1) vs Ren Narita (0–1)
Singles record: 1–0 Phantasmo
El Phantasmo and Ren Narita face off in their respective second B Block matchups.El Phantasmo has been public about a sense of malaise coming into this tournament, one that Narita has been quick to comment on. Declaring that there was ‘no way’ he would ‘lose to someone as pathetic as Phantasmo’. The question is whether ELP has taken those words to heart as motivation or whether he’ll be further dispirited on this second night.
3rd Match: A Block- Great-O-Khan (0–1) vs Gabe Kidd (0–1)
In Gabe Kidd’s vitriolic rants antagonising all around him, he’s acknowledged O-Khan’s charismatic presence and vision for the future, but has been condemnatory of his in ring results. That’s criticism that could be levied at Kidd himself up until recently, but his NJPW STRONG Championship victory and first defence against Ultimo Guerrero has seen him on firmer footing in the W:L column, albeit at the same time that O-Khan has himself regained KOPW gold. This second league match between two strong willed individuals with grand future ambitions is one to look out for.
2nd Match: B Block- Boltin Oleg (1–0) vs HENARE (1–0)
Two history makers with NEVER gold hit the ring for the first B Block match of the day. Both HENARE and Boltin Oleg are the first professional wrestlers, and the first champions of Maori and Kazakh origin respectively. Both men share deep pride in their backgrounds, and both have a straight ahead work ethic and mentality. It’ll make for an intense clash of wills in Osaka, with the hits coming hard and early Sunday.
1st match: A Block- SANADA (0–1) vs Callum Newman (1–0)
The action on day two of the G1 starts with SANADA taking on Callum Newman. Newman has a murderer’s row of tough opponents in his debut G1, but that makes opportunities all the more enticing, and he’ll be eager to get in the ring with the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
