NJPW G1 Climax 29
Night 8 – B Block
#g129
Event Date: July 24, 2019 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Nishi, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan
Venue: Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall
Attendance: 3,481
Series: G1 Climax 29
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Rocky Romero
Commentary (Japanese): Shigeki Kiyono, Milano Collection AT, Satoshi Kojima
Ring Announcer: Kimihiko Ozaki (1 – 4), Makoto Abe (5 – 9)
Video
The wrestlers in B Block of the G1 Climax tournament are briefly profiled.
Match 1
Yujiro Takahashi w/ Pieter & Chase Owens & Bad Luck Fale vs Yuya Uemura & Tokoaki Honma & Will Ospreay (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Yujiro Takahashi pins Yuya Uemura after Pimp Juice (kneeling DDT)
Time: 9:20
Match Thoughts
Good match. This was a fine opener. There wasn’t a lot to the match, but it served its purpose of previewing Fale versus Ospreay coming up in a few days. Ospreay didn’t do a whole lot (presumably so he could rest his neck), but a Bullet Club brawl and some good teamwork on their side put the momentum in Fale’s corner.
Match 2
Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer & Zack Sabre Jr. (RPW British Heavyweight Champ) vs BUSHI & SANADA & EVIL
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Minoru Suzuki pins BUSHI after a Gotch style Piledriver
Time: 8:09
Match Thoughts
This was fun. Suzuki Gun dominated whit match from nearly bell to bell. There was a brawl early in the match where Suzuki Gun got the advantage, and they never really relinquished control. EVIL got isolated for a long time, and SANADA and BUSHI didn’t fare a whole lot better when they tagged in later in the match. This was a good night for Suzuki Gun as a team.
Match 3
Ren Narita & Kota Ibushi vs Shota Umino & Hiroshi Tanahashi
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Hiroshi Tanahashi pins Ren Narita after a sling blade
Time: 7:45
Match Thoughts
Good match. Ibushi and Tanahashi started the match against each other, and they fought each other quite a lot during this match. It seems like the competitors being previewed for upcoming tournament matches are generally kept apart most of the time during these tag matches, but Tanahashi and Ibushi spent the majority of their ring time together tonight. Narita and Umino got in some shots as well, and Narita ended the match against Tanahashi, but this was one of the better tournament previews so far on the G1 tour.
Match 4
Karl Fredericks & Clark Connors & KENTA vs Toa Henare & YOSHI-HASHI & Kazuchika Okada (IWGP Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: YOSHI-HASHI submits Clark Connors with a butterfly lock
Time: 8:51
Match Thoughts
Good match. Okada wanted to start this match against KENTA, so both men gave us a preview of their upcoming tournament match right away. Neither man really got an advantage of course, but Okada remained in the match even when KENTA tagged out. KENTA would mostly hang out on the apron for the rest of the match, and Fredericks did most of the work for his team. Connors stepped in to finish the match, but the Chaos team largely dominated tonight.
Match 5
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Toru Yano (2-1-0: 4) (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) vs Juice Robinson (2-1-0: 4)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Juice Robinson pins Toru Yano after Pulp Friction
Time: 4:28
Match Thoughts
This was fun, as is pretty much every Toru Yano match. Juice was very cautious with Yano and didn’t believe anything Yano was trying to say or do, but Juice still got tricked multiple times. And most of those tricks ended with a schoolboy pin attempt from Yano. So many schoolboys. I enjoyed this.
Match 6
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Taichi (1-2-0: 2) w/ Miho Abe vs Hirooki Goto (1-2-0: 2)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Taichi wins via pinfall with a Gedo clutch (and a kick to the groin)
Time: 12:11
Match Thoughts
Good match. Taichi returned to his overtly devious ways tonight before the match even started. Taichi seemed to want to get Goto angry and off his game, so Taichi attacked Karl Fredericks (from the LA Dojo) prior to Got even coming out to the ring. Goto was angry, and that anger allowed Taichi’s multiple distractions to work better than if Goto had been in a better frame of mind. Goto had to fight back hard, and he did, but Taichi always had some other dastardly plan in mind. I was a little disappointed in the result, though that’s just because I wanted the two points to go the other way. The match itself was very well done.
Match 7
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Shingo Takagi (2-1-0: 4) vs Jon Moxley (3-0-0: 6) (IWGP US Champ) w/ Shota Umino
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Jon Moxley wins via submission with a Texas cloverleaf
Time: 14:45
Match Thoughts
Great match. Moxley had a plan to go after Shingo’s legs, and he executed that plan extremely well. Moxley hurt Shingo’s legs early in the match, and that hampered Shingo’s power and mobility throughout the match. Shingo still had some bursts of offense, but he wasn’t able to sustain his attacks for very long. I think this match really showed how much Moxley is thinking about everything he does even when it sometimes seems like he might just be creating chaos.
Match 8
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Jay White (0-3-0: 0) w/ Gedo vs Jeff Cobb (1-2-0: 2)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Jay White wins via pinfall after Blade Runner
Time: 15:50
Match Thoughts
Very good match. White was mostly up to his usual antics tonight, but those antice definitely seemed to work better. It seemed like White was more focused on doing damage rather than just being annoying, and he and Gedo worked a lot better as a team tonight. Jeff Cobb looked impressive as always, but he seemed winded or otherwise slowed by White’s attacks tonight. Cobb’s offense was great though, and this was a fun match.
Match 9
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Tetsuya Naito (1-2-0: 2) (IWGP IC Champ) vs Tomohiro Ishii (2-1-0: 4) (NEVER Openweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Tetsuya Naito wins via pinfall after Destino
Time: 18:58
Match Thoughts
Great match! Naito and Ishii had a great strong style match, and each man played very well into their own strengths. Ishii used his power and striking ability (as well as his ability to absorb punishment) to wear Naito down, and Naito used his speed and focus to hurt Ishii. This match came down to who could last longer and who could pile on more punishment in a shorter amount of time. The buildup in this match was the best of the night, and both men had the crowd buzzing for about the last third of the match. This might be one of my favorite matches of the G1 so far, though that’s a tough call to make.
Show Impressions
Like night seven, night eight was a great show where every match seemed to get better and better throughout the night. Like a lot of the main events during the G1 tour, Naito versus Ishii will likely contend for one of my favorite matches during the whole tournament.
Match of the Night
Tetsuya Naito vs Tomohiro Ishii
This was a great match with no real shenanigans. It was just two guys doing what they do best in the middle of the ring.
Standings After Night 8
Block A
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuchika Okada (IWGP Heavyweight Champ) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| KENTA | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| EVIL | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Kota Ibushi | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Lance Archer | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Will Ospreay (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| SANADA | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Zack Sabre Jr. (RPW British Heavyweight Champ) | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Bad Luck Fale | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Block B
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Moxley (IWGP US Champ) | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Juice Robinson | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Shingo Takagi | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Taichi | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Champ) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Tomohiro Ishii (NEVER Openweight Champ) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Toru Yano (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Hirooki Goto | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Jay White | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Jeff Cobb | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/192651?showResult=1