The world's greatest pro-wrestling tournament returns with its 34th edition. The tournament is leaner and meaner, returning to a 2-block format with an extra twist. One spot in each block is up for grabs in a qualification tournament.






Tetsuya Naito
Shota Umino
Shingo Takagi
SANADA
Great-O-Khan
Zack Sabre Jr.
Gabe Kidd
Jake Lee
EVIL

The NOAH representative for 2024 is Jake Lee, who has already appeared in NJPW a few times, targeting Tetsuya Naito for reasons unknown.

Block A is mouth-watering with some tremendous matchups. Zack against everyone, but especially against EVIL, Naito, Kidd and Lee. Takagi against Naito. Kidd against EVIL. O-Khan against everyone. Delicious.




El Phantasmo
Hirooki Goto
Yota Tsuji
Yuya Uemura
Jeff Cobb
HENARE
David Finlay
Ren Narita
Konosuke Takeshita

The standout name in B Block is Konosuke Takeshita, the AEW representative, who battled the IWGP Heavyweight Champion earlier this year. Speaking of which, the Champion Jon Moxley not being entered into the tournament is quite the shocker. If it wasn't already confirmed he's dropping the belt back to Naito, this is it. But even so, it reflects badly on the company not entering their top champion. Guess he's too busy.

Besides that, B Block is less interesting than A Block, but there is some intrigue particularly with Takeshita, but also matches like Finlay vs Cobb and Tsuji vs Cobb.

I really thought Bryan would've been in it this year - the G1 felt the one thing he had left to do and it would've made me tune in for sure. But I'm guessing he knows he can't do that many matches close together anymore and doesn't want to be away from family for that long. Still, would've been great.

New format makes it a serious commitment. I think the Continental Classic was to fill his G1 void. And it is for the best, as he can just slot into any big matches he wants in Japan.

Jun 17, 2024 19:18:57 GMT PB said:

I really thought Bryan would've been in it this year - the G1 felt the one thing he had left to do and it would've made me tune in for sure. But I'm guessing he knows he can't do that many matches close together anymore and doesn't want to be away from family for that long. Still, would've been great.

I'm holding out hope until he walks away from the ring entirely that he will participate. In a weird way I am actually more optimistic that he will be in it in in the coming years simply because he won't be committed to AEW full time anymore. He is semi-retiring after WrestleDream later this year. I would absolutely lose my mind if he disappeared until next summer then was announced as a surprise entrant out of nowhere.

Be a nice 4-6 week vacation for him and his family to Japan.

The qualifying tournaments are over, with surprising results.

21-year old Callum Newman defeated Yujiro Takahashi, KENTA and YOSHI-HASHI to become the youngest ever G1 Climax participant.

Even more impressive is the Kazakh young lion Boltin Oleg, who went through Toru Yano, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Taichi to earn his place in the G1 Climax. No young lion has even come close to Oleg's success. Not to mention Oleg is currently a NJPW champion, holding the NEVER Six Man Tag Team Championship with Yano and Tanahashi.

It's interesting to consider the favourites to win, because there aren't many. Okada and Ospreay would be top of the list if they were here. Naito is champion so he ain't gonna win. SANADA, EVIL, and Shingo are all former IWGP Heavyweight Champions but I can't imagine any of them being positioned to main event Wrestle Kingdom. Relics of the past.

In fact, the lineup is so young that there are few tenured wrestlers. Apart from the former champions, the most senior are Zack Sabre Jr, Jeff Cobb, Hirooki Goto, and David Finlay. Looking at those names, I see one realistic winner. David Finlay. The man who I'm sure was poised to win the New Japan Cup before an unknown injury took him out.

After Yota Tsuji won the New Japan Cup I doubt they'll pull the trigger on a younger wrestler again, but if anyone will do it, it's Shota Umino. They've hinted many times that he is the new Ace, but is he ready?

What about Zack Sabre Jr? I don't believe NJPW has faith in him as a top guy. Even now, when they are desperately lacking top stars. They've had many chances to pull the trigger and always refused. I see him as a Hirooki Goto figure, always the bridesmaid. I can imagine a Zack/Finlay final which would be tremendous, but that's as far as he can go. Of course, I would love to be wrong.

I only just realised the tournament began over a week ago. Will I be watching every match like years past? Certainly not. I'm not invested enough, nor do I wish to spend all that time on wrestling. I will attempt to do show-by-show recaps.

Night 1 - July 20

A night of upsets. The opening matches saw the two qualifiers beat established opposition. Boltin Oleg overcame Ren Narita in short order, while Callum Newman decisively defeated Shota Umino with the Oz Cutter.

The upsets kept coming. Yuya Uemura was on the verge of defeat against a game David Finlay, but he countered a powerbomb into a hurricanrana rollup for a shock three count. Debutant Jake Lee, who officially left NOAH and joined NJPW and the Bullet Club War Dogs a week prior, convincingly won his first G1 match against former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA. Another debutant, AEW's Konosuke Takeshita, overcame Yota Tsuji in a fantastic semi-main event.

Finally, the main event saw an upset in an all-LIG clash. Shingo Takagi defeated IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Tetsuya Naito. The match was not good. With every match Naito shows his age, his below average conditioning and his broken down body. He struggles to execute his elaborate offense. Takagi, in contrast, looks phenomenal, even though they are of a similar age. His offense was decisive and convincing. The tournament is going to be a struggle for Naito, and it isn't any easier with Zack Sabre Jr. up next.

Speaking of Zack, he defeated Great O-Khan in one of the night's few expected outcomes. Henare defeated El Phantasmo and Jeff Cobb overwhelmed Hirooki Goto. Gabe Kidd and EVIL went to war, with the crowd firmly behind the War Dog. However, EVIL's tricks were too much for Kidd.

Does this one feel like it's... lacking? I've never watched it regardless but I've always enjoyed the postings on PW (even if it's just like 2-3 people) and felt somewhat engaged and in the know. With it being leaner meaner, does it lack urgency since there's no outside gaijin in it? Absent of that as a non-fan it almost feels like just a regular tournament rather than a future title Jan 4th ticket. Maybe I'm so far out of the loop... but scrolling past those images just doesn't excite me about potential anymore. Has New Japan fallen in the wake of AEW? It's hard for me to really gauge since PW is the only wrestling place I see other than memes popping up on reddit.

New Japan is no doubt going through a downward trend. A combination of Okada/Ospreay leaving, old guys getting older, and a huge amount of young talent coming in who are just finding their feet. They have fewer established main eventers than in recent memory, so it's a rebuilding process.

Night 2 - July 21

The upsets keep rolling in. I'll start at the top. The main event saw Yota Tsuji overcoming David Finlay. The previous match saw Zack Sabre Jr. roling up Tetsuya Naito. Two of the top dogs - Naito and Finlay - starting with two straight losses. But I know Gedo booking. They're both going to sweep the rest of the block. Finlay will surely make the final. Naito will get close, but probably not.

Zack vs Naito was a much better performance from the champion. Naito simply can't keep up with Shingo's relentless energy. Zack's more measured style hides Naito's limitations. The highlight was Zack grabbing Naito's belt, posing with it in the crowd, then returning it to the ring and sliding it to the defeated champion. Chef's kiss moment.

Other results:

SANADA def. Callum Newman
HENARE def. Boltin Oleg
Ren Narita def. El Phantasmo
EVIL def. Jake Lee
Yuya Uemura def. Hirooki Goto
Shota Umino def. Shingo Takagi

Jeff Cobb and Konosuke Takeshita are wrestling on the following show, for some reason.

Night 3 - July 23

A Block

Zack Sabre Jr. ( 6) def. Callum Newman (2)
Shingo Takagi (4) def. Great O-Khan (0)
Gabe Kidd (4) def. Shota Umino (2)
EVIL ( 6) def. SANADA (2)
Tetsuta Naito (2) def. Jake Lee (2)

Naito picks up his first win of the tournament, defeating his rival from NOAH, Jake Lee. Solid match with nice storytelling, ending with the now obligatory collection of Naito botches. Naito won by countering the chokeslam with a Destino for a surprising pinfall. Surprising because it normally takes more to keep a NJPW wrestler down. Jake Lee saved some face by kicking out at 3.5 and immediately getting up while Naito spent the next few minutes flat on the canvas.

B Block

Konosuke Takeshita def. Jeff Cobb

Despite getting launched 10 feet in the air, Takeshita recovered and convincingly won with his killer forearm followed by a Falcon Arrow in a delayed second round match.




Night 4 - July 25

B Block

Hirooki Goto (2) def. Boltin Oleg (2)
Ren Narita (4) def. Jeff Cobb (2)
El Phantasmo (2) def. Yota Tsuji (2)
David Finlay (2) def. HENARE (4)
Yuya Uemura ( 6) def. Konosuke Takeshita (4)

The highlight was the final match, with both Uemura and Takeshita making their first appearances in a NJPW main event. They delivered the good with a dramatic contest combining technical, power, hard-hitting, high-flying in one delightful package. Uemura won with the Deadbolt Suplex (double overhook belly-to-belly). I loved the struggle for Uemura to hit that move, and the way Takeshita was kicking his legs, but still unable to remove his shoulders away from the mat.


Zack and EVIL leading A Block isn't particularly surprising, but Yuya Uemura being the clear B Block leader certainly is. Ride the high, kid, it won't last.

Night 5 - July 27

Callum Newman (4) def. Shingo Takagi (4)
SANADA (4) def. Gabe Kidd (4)
Shota Umino (4) def. Great O-Khan (0)
Zack Sabre Jr. (8) def. Jake Lee (2)
EVIL (8) def. Tetsuya Naito (2)

Another huge upset - Newman pins Takagi. NJPW are investing in Callum Newman as Ospreay's successor. Takagi said in his post-match comments that Newman's Oz Cutter is more intense than Ospreay's.

Zack and EVIL stay undefeated and firmly on top of their blocks. ZSJ had his ribs pummelled by Lee, but Zack's arm work paid off as he forced Lee to submit to a gnarly armbar.

Meanwhile Naito and EVIL had the expected shenanigans-laden affair. Members of HoT and LiJ got involved. Things appeared to be going Naito's way, Naito hitting a low blow and later Dick Togo inadvertently throwing powder in EVIL's eyes. Naito hit a running Destino, but the full Destino was smoothly countered into Everything Is EVIL for a clean-ish victory.

EVIL grabbed the mic and said he would finish the job of breaking Naito, before putting the champion in a Scorpion Deathlock. Clearly Naito is far from his best shape and I appreciate that NJPW is acknowledging it in kayfabe.


Night 6 - July 28

Boltin Oleg (4) def. El Phantasmo (2)
Jeff Cobb (4) def. Yuya Uemura ( 6)
Henare (4) def. Konosuke Takeshita ( 6)
David Finlay (4) def. Ren Narita (4)
Hirooki Goto (4) def. Yota Tsuji (2)

Takeshita has been the most exciting wrestler in B Block, but Henare isn't far behind. In fact Henare has quietly assumed the role of Ishii, a brick shithouse, hard to damage, gets the best out of everyone he faces.

David Finlay destroyed Ren Narita pretty easily. Between this and the Jake Lee vs EVIL match, it's safe to say that Bullet Club War Dogs and House of Torture are now completely separate entities. Finlay spoke about House of Torture in his post-match comments, saying that the Finlay family wrote the playbook that HoT tried to use against him.

Hey are you doing one of your crazy watch everything fests or just kinda giving PW a quick rundown?

I'm not watching every minute of every match. I usually have it on in the background when I'm doing errands. I've watched all the ZSJ, Finlay, Cobb, Jake Lee and Takeshita matches. The others are give and take. House of Torture matches in particular are very skippable.

Night 7 (July 29)

EVIL (10) def. Callum Newman (4)
Great O-Khan (2) def. Jake Lee ( 2)
Shota Umino ( 6) def. Zack Sabre Jr. (8) (BOOO!)
Gabe Kidd ( 6) def. Shingo Takagi (4)
Tetsuya Naito (4) def. SANADA (4)

O-Khan vs Lee was a fantastic match, great storytelling and a dramatic finale. O-Khan used a new move, a version of a Flatliner, to set up his finisher and pick up his first win.

Gabe Kidd's progression is interesting. Last year he was a highlight - attacking all opponents during their entrances, fighting more in the crowd than in the ring, not being afraid to break the rules. This year he's bulked up more and wrestling a more straightforward bruiser style alá Henare or the man he defeated, Shingo Takagi. There's some occasional crowd brawling, he's not lost that madman persona, but it's a more refined version and he's better for it.

Zack drops his first match, giving EVIL the sole lead in the block. Someone needs to beat EVIL, otherwise darkness will consume A Block, if not the entire G1 Climax.

Naito vs SANADA was easily Naito's best G1 match. It was close to great. SANADA is great in that Randy Orton role, a super athlete and very easy to work with. Naito's flaws weren't exposed and they put together some fluid sequences. Naito won convincingly with two Destinos in a row.

Night 8 (July 31)

Yota Tsuji (4) def. Boltin Oleg (4)
Henare ( 6) def. Yuya Uemura ( 6)
Jeff Cobb ( 6) def. El Phantasmo (2)
Ren Narita ( 6) def. Hirooki Goto (4)
David Finlay ( 6) def. Konosuke Takeshita ( 6)

The main event was the only noteworthy match. One of the most exciting B Block matches and boy did it deliver. Despite his unremarkable stature, Finlay has a way of physically dominating his opponents in the late stretch, but on this occasion Takeshita was at least his equal. There was a clumsy ref bump leading to a shillelagh shot, but Takeshita did not stay down. However minutes later Finlay scored with Overkill to pick up an important victory.

What is noteworthy is the scores, with a six-way tie for first on six points. Luckless El Phantasmo sits at the bottom of the block, but I imagine he's going to play spoiler at least once.

Night 9 (August 03)

Jake Lee (4) def. Callum Newman (4)
Great O-Khan (4) def. EVIL (10)
Tetsuya Naito ( 6) def. Gabe Kidd ( 6)
SANADA ( 6) def. Shota Umino ( 6)
Shingo Takagi ( 6) def. Zack Sabre Jr. (8) (BOOO!)

Tail-ender Great O-Khan found a new finishing combination to pick up his first win in the last round. Somehow he managed the same feat a second time against the once undefeated EVIL. On paper O-Khan beating EVIL isn't as big an upset as Newman defeating Shingo, but as far as the tournament standing goes, it's an enormous upset.

That opened the door for Zack Sabre Jr. to reach pole position, but a brick shithouse named Shingo Takagi stood in the way. A fine match but with a poor finish. Zack had Takagi in a Triangle Choke for a while, Shingo nearly passed out, then suddenly Shingo picks Zack up in a powerbomb position...spends a few seconds to get him in a Fireman's Carry position, then hits his finish. Didn't work for me considering he was nearly knocked out seconds before.

David Finlay on commentary was a treat. He did a great job of putting both guys over while staying in character. He popped me when Zack started working on Takagi's arm. Finlay's colleague said that "Takagi won't be hitting any lariats with that injured arm" and Finlay responded "he's stupid enough to do it". He was right, of course. Nice nod to wrestlers not selling limb injuries.

Meanwhile the champ Naito found himself on the middle of the card against Gabe Kidd. Pretty good match work a nice story. Kidd dominated 90% of the match but Naito teased a Destino only to switch into a small package for the three count. A wily veteran victory.


Night 10 (August 04)

David Finlay (8) def. Boltin Oleg (4)
El Phantasmo (4) def. Yuya Uemura ( 6)
Jeff Cobb (8) def. Henare ( 6)
Hirooki Goto (2) def. Konosuke Takeshita ( 6)
Yota Tsuji ( 6) def. Ren Narita ( 6)

United Empire went to war when Henare battled Jeff Cobb. The stablemate matches are always interesting and this was no exception. They took the fight to each other but Cobb was the stronger man on this occasion.

Tsuji vs Narita is a strange choice for the main event. I suppose the rationale is to give Tsuji a main event victory and the chance to speak to the fans. Out of all the young generation, NJPW is definitely valuing Tsuji the most.

They aren't seriously going to give EVIL the block over ZSJ are they? I might barf.

I've been too busy to really watch any matches but have been following along. I will probably do what I did in previous years and go back and watch the handful of standouts when I have some time (probably after the kids go back to school).

Evil must have an uncle in the yakuza or something to get booked like he does.

Aug 12, 2024 22:13:58 GMT RT said:

They aren't seriously going to give EVIL the block over ZSJ are they? I might barf.

EVIL always gets pushed hard in tournaments. He made the semi-finals of last year's G1, and he eliminated then-world champion SANADA. I reckon Zack, Naito, or SANADA make the finals.

Night 11 (August 06)

Great O-Khan ( 6) def. Callum Newman (4)
Jake Lee ( 6) def. Gabe Kidd ( 6)
Zack Sabre Jr. (10) def. EVIL (10) (YAY!)
Tetsuya Naito (8) def. Shota Umino ( 6)
SANADA (8) def. Shingo Takagi ( 6)

Following the previous civil war between Henare and Jeff Cobb, we had two more to open the show. United Empire did battle against as O-Khan and Newman fought in a silky smooth and entertaining opener. O-Khan made it three in a row with his new finishing combination. Meanwhile, Jake Lee brought two beers to the ring, for a peaceful encounter with Gabe Kidd. Kidd had other plans, however, jump starting the match and starting a wild brawl reminiscent of his memorable G1 showing last year. A War Dog Initiation of sorts. It ended in a countout finish with Lee sneaking in the ring at the count of 18, Kidd unable to make it before 20.

Naito vs Shota was fantastic. Shooter got the hot start hitting a bunch of heavy offense immediately, but Naito found a way in with a neckbreaker from the top rope and he took over. They worked to a hot finish. Much like Kidd, Shota did everything right except hit his finisher a second time, and Naito won the same way he beat Gabe Kidd: a Destino attempt switched into a small package. Suddenly Naito is right in the hunt, second place.

SANADA and Shingo remarkably met for the first time in singles competition. It was a tremendous match with the crowd perhaps surprisingly rooting for SANADA at the end. Indeed, it was SANADA who ended up victorious by countering Last of the Dragons into Deadfall for a crucial victory.

Saving the best until last. Fear not RT: the highlight of the night was, of course, Zack vs EVIL. Zack has always had EVIL's number, with the help of fellow TMDK member Kosei Fujita. This time, Fujita is injured, and EVIL got the advantage by attacking Zack even before he had come out of the curtain. EVIL and Dick Togo double teamed Zack before the bell rang, throwing powder into his face and hitting Magic Killer. Ring the bell, ref. EVIL repeatedly tried to pin Zack but he kept forcing the shoulder up. EVIL went full mount and grabbed the legs, but Zack shifted his weight and rolled on top of EVIL. One! Two! Three! Bell to bell, Zack beat EVIL in 19 seconds. Absolutely bloody glorious. The best running gag in NJPW continues. House of Torture is at its best when they have egg on their face.


Night 11 (August 07)

Jeff Cobb (10) def. Boltin Oleg (4)
Konosuke Takeshita (8) def. El Phantasmo (4)
Yota Tsuji (8) def. Henare ( 6)
Ren Narita (8) def. Yuya Uemura ( 6)
Hirooki Goto (4) def. David Finlay (8)

Takeshita and ELP went all out in the second tournament match, both men throwing their best shots and kicking out of everything they had to offer. ELP took a nasty fall through a table leading to a large cut on his back. ELP fought like a lion, but Takeshita was simply too strong, picking up the win and eliminating ELP from the tournament.

Goto and Finlay fought in the main event, in front of Goto's children. There was only one outcome. Goto was unstoppable on this day. Finlay's overpowering wrestling style had little effect on the Bushido warrior who won decisively. B Block suddenly became far more interesting. Cobb vs Finlay is a key match in the upcoming rounds.

Night 13 (August 08)

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

Callum Newman has been giving the veterans a lot of grief, but the suffering Naito somehow overcame Newman relatively effortlessly, hitting a Destino for the win in under 10 minutes. Naito faces Great O-Khan in the final round. O-Khan started with three losses but recovered strongly four wins in a row, including today's crucial win against SANADA. Remarkably, O-Khan now has a good chance to advance to the finals, but he needs to beat the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion to do so. Both men are on long winning streaks, so that will be a fascinating clash.

Few people have figured out the enigma of Zack Sabre Jr. I wouldn't have expected Gabe Kidd to be the one. Kidd's strategy was simple: chop Zack, and keep chopping. That's all he did for the first 5 minutes. Zack had no answer. Gabe dominated. Zack slowly fought back into the match but Kidd was always on top of the offense. It remained that way until the end, where the crafy veteran Zack caught Kidd in a sleeper hold and eventually forced the Madman to pass out. Awesome match. With that, Zack guarantees a spot in the finals.

Takagi scored an important win against EVIL to keep himself in contention to advance. Any of Naito, Takagi, EVIL and Great O-Khan can join Zack.


Night 14 (August 10)

Boltin Oleg ( 6) def. Konosuke Takeshita (8)
Ren Narita (10) def. Henare ( 6)
El Phantasmo ( 6) def. Hirooki Goto (4)
David Finlay (10) def. Jeff Cobb (10)
Yuya Uemura (8) def. Yota Tsuji (8)

I haven't talked about Ren Narita much because his matches are even worse than EVIL's, but he cheated and he won his way to top of the block.

David Finlay had to beat Cobb to make B Block interesting, and he did just that to join Cobb and Narita at the top. It was an impressive showing from the Bullet Club leader. He won as he always does - in dominant fashion. He lifted Cobb high for two powerbombs then finished him off with Overkill. I keep saying that Finlay is far stronger than he looks and that's proof.

The main event had an unfortunate ending. Uemura severely damaged his arm when Tsuji got the knees up on a Frog Splash attempt. Potentially a fracture. They worked to a clumsy rollup finish with Uemura beating his rival. He said some words to the crowd, but it was later announced he would be removed from the tournament.

Who's going to qualify from B Block? The wrestlers on 10 points are the clear favourites but it might be possible for one of Tsuji and Takeshita to quality. ELP vs David Finlay and Cobb vs Tsuji are the matches to watch out for.

I'm away the whole weekend so I won't have time to finish the G1 before then. Please use spoiler tags!

OMG Zack over Evil in 19 seconds is amazing. I am following G1 really only here so no spoilers this year from me.

19 nights of matches is criminally insane.

Finals pre thoughts:

SPOILER: Click to show

I feel like they are strapping the rocket to Yota Tsuji and giving him the NJ Cup and G1 in the same year. I don’t think ZSJ stands a chance, especially because he already pinned Naito so has earned his title shot.

Obviously I want ZSJ to win but all signs point to Gedo doing Gedo things and having ZSJ as fodder before we get Naito/Tsuji at WK.

Although it would be absolutely dope if ZSJ beats Naito before we get that match and the WK main event is a rematch of the G1 finals with ZSJ holding the title.

Fuck I dunno..

Finals

SPOILER: Click to show

FUCK YEAH

Night 15 (August 12)

Gabe Kidd (8) def. Callum Newman (4)
Zack Sabre Jr. (14) def. SANADA (8)
Jake Lee (8) def. Shingo Takagi (12)
Shota Umino (8) def. EVIL (10)
Tetsuya Naito (12) def. Great O-Khan (8)

Much like Naito in the previous round, Gabe Kidd made quick work of newbie Callum Newman with two piledrivers. Kidd went a step further, sliding a chair into the ring and piledriving Newman onto it. Why? Because he's fookin' mad, yeah?

Zack had already guaranteed a spot in the finals, but that didn't stop him going all out against SANADA. As usual the two put on a phenomenal technical contest. I was sure SANADA was going to win, to add more drama to A Block, but nope. Zack proved his worth, pinning SANADA with the Zack Driver to achieve a personal record of 14 points.

In the first round Jake Lee wiped out SANADA in under five minutes, but since then his G1 has been pretty lackluster. Things didn't get better in the last round. A hard-hitting struggle with Shingo Takagi ended in the Dragon's favour with a flash pin. Jake Lee emulated fellow War Dog Gabe Kidd in attacking his opponent after the match.

EVIL vs Shota Umino was more of an angle than a match. EVIL has declared himself the president of New Japan. Him and Dick Togo bullied the ring announcer into declaring Shota Umino forfeit. Just as EVIL was leaving, out comes Shota, who was presumably attacked backstage prior to the match. Tne entire Houe of Torture get involved later in the match, only for President Tanahashi himself to save the day. EVIL low blowed Tanahashi and suddenly Shota Umino had the leader of House of Torture one on one. After some back and forth, Shota hit Death Rider and picked up a heroic victory over his nemesis, eliminating EVIL from the G1.

In the main event, Naito and O-Khan fight for the coveted third place splot. Coveted because the top three in the block advance to the next stage - which I only just learnt today. They wrestled a fantastic dramatic match to conclude the block stages. The crowd were equally divided between Naito and O-Khan. O-Khan focused on Naito's knees with a number of nasty submission holds. Naito was always on the backfoot, but hit a running Destino to get back into the fight. However O-Khan escaped a second Destino, countering into the finishing combination that has had no answer. O-Khan wins 5 in a row and advances.

Let's talk more about Great O-Khan. He debuted in 2020, helping Will Ospreay defeat Okada in a crucial G1 Climax match. The United Empire was born. Despite having a special charisma and an original wrestling style, GOK never gained much traction, and up to this point lost so much credibility that he's basically a jobber, albeit one with a decent crowd following. Losing his first four matches in the G1 seemed to confirm his place in the company, but suddenly he picked up win after win, culminating in the biggest win possible, pinning the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. It's awesome to see because I am a big GOK fan who had lost faith. Nobody else can wrestle like GOK, he brings a lot to the table, and I hope this push helps advance his career further.

A Block Top 3
Zack Sabre Jr. (14)
Shingo Takagi (12)
Great O-Khan (10) - tiebreak win over EVIL (10) and Tetsuya Naito (10)

What happens next? According to commentary, it's GOK vs Takagi. The winner advances to face ZSJ to reach the G1 grand final. I don't like this since we will get some repeat matches. Why not have the top 3 of A Block fight against the top 3 of B Block?

Top 3 vs top 3 inside Japan's first ever elimination chamber.

I was thinking more along the lines of second place from A Block vs third place from B Block and vice versa. Winner of one of those matches faces the A Block winner and the other faces the B Block winner. There's still a chance of a repeat in those latter matches but at least my way adds a bit more variety.

With Ness, Elimination Chamber the top six is the way to go. More people for Zack to submit.