Results: NJPW G1 Climax Day 2
G1 Climax 30 Day 2 Results
Yota Tsuji def. Gabriel Kidd (9:15)
I would recommend that everyone reading this go to NJPW’s English website and read Gabriel Kidd’s interview, in which he discusses Shibata grabbing his stomach fat and telling him to lose weight before he could join the LA Dojo. He certainly has, but it may have been Yota Tsuji’s weight may have helped him press the advantage, as he overpowered Gabriel Kid with strikes, and was too heavy for Kidd to lift when he attempted a suplex. Kidd hit a great standing dropkick to cut off Tsuji briefly, but in the end Tsuji caught him in the Boston Crab for the submission victory.
B Block: Juice Robinson def. YOSHI-HASHI (15:57)
Unlike Ishii yesterday, YOSHI-HASHI entered while proudly displaying his NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship. Meanwhile, Juice Robinson entered in a white tank top and tight black pants and shoes, looking like a Blues Brother. These two hit some of the loudest chops I’ve heard recently, up there with the one sin yesterday’s match between Ishii and Suzuki. Juice made the crowd stomp and clap to the rhythm of “We Will Rock You” by Queen. His focus on the crowd let YOSHI-HASHI catch him in the Butterfly Lock, but the crowd resumed the rhythmic noise-making to support Juice. YOSHI-HASHI broke the hold to hit a swanton bomb, but Juice kicked out at two as the crowd. His chest red from chops, he went for the Karma, but Juice was able to sprawl to stop the hold and a heavy lariat. Finally, he hit two big punches and the Pulp Friction to put YOSHI-HASHI away. Juice 2 points, YOSHI-HASHI 0 points
B Block: Toru Yano def. SANADA (6:16)
SANADA also decided to bring new gear to the G1, wearing a black and silver outfit that looks like something a supervillain would wear, but a comically small skull mask. Toru Yano was carrying three rolls of tape in his trunks, which were removed by the referee early in the match. After being unceremoniously worked over, Yano retreated to the outside and told SANADA to come after him, but SANADA didn’t take the bait and Yano had to run back to the ring to stop from being counted out, and SANADA hit a plancha to the outside to press his advantage. From there, SANADA pulled Yano to the entrance walkway and put him in the Paradise Lock, then left him to trapped to be counted out. However, a young lion, thinking this was unfair, rolled Yano onto his back to set him free. This enabled Yano to tie SANADA and the young lion’s legs together with his last roll of tape, and win the match by countout. Also, the young lion wasn’t wearing his mask over his nose, shame on him. Yano 2 points, SANADA 0 points
B Block: KENTA def. Hirooki Goto (17:15)
Goto also didn’t bring out his NEVER 6-Man title, and it’s getting on my nerves that YOSHI-HASHI is the only one who did. KENTA had promised on Twitter that he would win this match using his Game Over submission, which he had used in this same building to win the GHC Heavyweight Championship when he was in Pro Wrestling NOAH. He put that plan into action, targeting Goto’s right arm with holds and kicks. As KENTA kicked Goto in the chest, Goto rose to his feet went for a lariat, but KENTA grabbed his arm, immobilizing Goto in pain. Goto fought back and started working on KENTA’s arm too. KENTA was able to get his foot on the rope to break Goto’s seated armbar, and got Goto back on the defensive again with a diving foot stomp. He lifted Goto for the Go 2 Sleep, but Goto grabbed KENTA’s knee to stop its impact. He applied his Shoryu Kekkai arm submission, but KENTA was able to reach the bottom rope to break it. Goto tried to finish the match with the GTR, but KENTA forced him into the Game Over and there was nowhere for Goto to go. KENTA wins by submission. KENTA 2 points, Goto 0 points
B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. def. EVIL (15:54)
With one of the briefest IWGP Heavyweight Championship reigns in recent history behind him, EVIL has a lot to prove in the G1. Credit to him, he was beating Zack from pillar to post in the early going, a little bit of help from Dick Togo notwithstanding. With his quickness, Zack was able to make his move and went to twisting EVIL’s neck and arms in a brutal fashion. EVIL was able to break Zack’s abdominal stretch by pulling on his ear, living up to his name. He went back to pummeling the wiry submission master with strikes and big suplexes. Zack countered EVIL’s lariat with an arm drag into a submission hold, but Dick Togo came onto the apron as a distraction. Zack casually kicked him away, but EVIL whipped him into the referee, and Dick Togo came in to lay boots to Zack. After being hit with one senton from each, Zack was able to fight back to take Togo out. EVIL went for a mule kick, but Zack caught EVIL’s leg in between his knees. EVIL hit the Darkness Falls for a near fall, and went for the EVIL STO, but Zack rolled him into the European Clutch for the pinfall victory. He was hurt and struggling to walk afterward, but the points go to him, overcoming a two on one disadvantage. Zack 2 points, EVIL 0 points
B Block: Tetsuya Naito def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (27:16)
Tanahashi’s plan, as it often is, was to attack Naito’s knees to neutralize his advantage of speed. However, early on, Naito was always one step ahead of Tanahashi, avoiding his front flip senton while laying on the mat in his tranquilo pose. Naito held control until Tanahashi hit a dragonscrew legwhip to send Naito retreating to the outside, and then hit the High Fly Flow to Naito standing outside. He said he was going to retire that move four years ago and yet here we are. He brought Naito back into the ring and landed more dragonscrews with Naito hung up in the ropes, then went for the Texas Cloverleaf, but Naito was able to stuff the hold. Tanahashi hit more Dragonscrews and was able to lock in the Texas Cloverleaf this time, which he used to tap out Naito in their last match and win the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, three years ago. He locked it in at an even higher angle, but Naito grabbed the middle rope and saved himself. Tanahashi pushed his advantage with a bridging arm-trap suplex for a very close near fall. He went for the Sling Blade but Naito dodged it and landed a twirling DDT to put Tanahashi on his back. He hit repeated clubbing blows to the back of the neck, then hit Gloria only for Tanahashi to kick out at two. Naito went for the Destino, but Tanahashi countered it into the Sling Blade as the crowd applauded wildly and the ring announcer called that 25 minutes had passed. He hit a second Sling Blade and then the High Fly Flow, but then went for another High Fly Flow and Naito rolled out of the way. Naito capitalized with a gnarly running Destino that got a 2-count, then hit the Valentia and another Destino for the three-count! Naito 2 points, Tanahashi 0 points
Standings
A Block:
- 2 points – Will Ospreay, Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Jay White, Kota Ibushi
- 0 points – Jeff Cobb, Tomohiro Ishii, Kazuchika Okada, Shingo Takagi, Yujiro Takahashi
B Block:
- 2 points – Juice Robinson, Toru Yano, KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr., Tetsuya Naito
- 0 points – EVIL, Hirooki Goto, SANADA, Hiroshi Tanahashi, YOSHI-HASHI
