NJPW G1 Climax 29
Night 16 – B Block
#g129
Event Date: August 8, 2019 (18:30 JST)
aired live on NJPW World
City: Naka, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
Venue: Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
Attendance: 4,983
Series: G1 Climax 29
Commentary (English): Kevin Kelly, Rocky Romero, Chris Charlton
Commentary (Japanese): Haruo Murata, Milano Collection AT, Jushin Thunder Liger (5 – 9)
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
Yuya Uemura & Yota Tsuji vs Ren Narita & Shota Umino
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Shota Umino pins Yota Tsuji with a bridging fisherman suplex
Time: 5:39
Match Thoughts
Good match. Narita started the match with Uemura and they had a fun opening sequence. Narita wrestled a smart and aggressive match, keeping Uemura away from his own corner and getting some help from Umino to keep Uemura down. Umino tagged in, but he got double-teamed by Uemura and Tsuji which led to Tsuji giving Umino a tough (though brief) fight to end the match. The finish was no surprise, but it was fun.
Match 2
Chase Owens & Yujiro Takahashi & Bad Luck Fale vs BUSHI & EVIL & SANADA
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Chase Owens pins BUSHI after a package piledriver
Time: 7:50
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. SANADA and Fale opened the match with a preview of their upcoming match, then EVIL took on Takahashi. Owens closed out the match against BUSHI, and BUSHI barely did anything. Owens again looked really good in this tag preview match, though SANADA and EVIL probably had the best individual efforts on the match.
Match 3
Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer & Zack Sabre Jr. (RPW British Heavyweight Champ) vs Karl Fredericks & Clark Connors & KENTA
(referee: Kenta Sato)
Result: Minoru Suzuki pins Clark Connors after a Gotch-style piledriver
Time: 7:17
Match Thoughts
This was fun. Suzuki Gun started the match with a huge brawl as usual. Fredericks was the first man legal for his team once the fight got back to the ring, and he had a lot of trouble with Lance Archer. Fredericks did his best, but Archer was too much for him. Sabre and KENTA gave us a good preview for their tournament match in the middle of this match, then Clark Connors and Minoru Suzuki finished the match. Connors had a really fun sequence where he chopped Suzuki over and over, finally sending Suzuki down to one knee. Suzuki wasn’t down long though, and he didn’t have much trouble with Connors after that.
Match 4
Toa Henare & Will Ospreay (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) & Kota Ibushi vs YOSHI-HASHI & Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada (IWGP Heavyweight Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: YOSHI-HASHI pins Toa Henare after the Kumagaroshi
Time: 7:20
Match Thoughts
This was fun. The thing I found most interesting about this match was how the teams were constructed. Okada faces Ibushi in the next round of block action, and Ospreay faces Tanahashi. Instead of making the easy team of Chaos members Okada and Ospreay (and YOSHI-HASHI) versus Tanahashi and Ibushi (and Toa Henare), longtime rivals were paired up. I think that was a good idea because it took attention away from possibly seeing Okada versus Tanahashi or Ibushi versus Ospreay again in this match, and it made the action all about the preview for the next round of the G1 Climax. As a preview match, it was good, even if it did feel a little short.
Match 5
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Taichi (3-4-0: 6) w/ Miho Abe vs Toru Yano (3-4-0: 6) (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Toru Yano wins via count out
Time: 5:04
Match Thoughts
This was a lot of fun. Yano and Taichi are two of the biggest rule breakers in the G1 this year, so I think it came as no surprise that this match was pretty much shenanigans from bell to bell. Both men used some of their go-to tactics, but they each also added one or two new ones tonight. The match didn’t go very long, but it was fun and was a nice way to start the more serious block action that was sure to come during the rest of the night.
Match 6
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Tetsuya Naito (4-3-0: 8) (IWGP IC Champ) vs Jeff Cobb (3-4-0: 6)
(referee: Marty Asami)
Result: Naito wins via pinfall after Destino
Time: 12:47
Match Thoughts
Good match. This felt a bit like Naito’s match with Shingo, and that’s a good thing. Cobb dominated the match early with his power, and Naito had to go low and attack Cobb’s legs to stop Cobb’s momentum. Naito also had to absorb a lot of punishment and look for counters as the match went on. There was a lot of good back and forth towards the end of the match, and both men looked really good once again.
Match 7
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Jon Moxley (5-2-0: 10) (IWGP US Champ) w/ Shota Umino vs Hirooki Goto (4-3-0: 8)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Hirooki Goto wins via pinfall after GTR
Time: 8:38
Match Thoughts
Good match. Goto apparently wanted a fair and friendly match with Moxley, and he extended his hands for a fist bump as the match started. Moxley wanted a fight though, and he started in on Goto right away. The two men traded strikes in the center of the ring, then Moxley started to take over. There would be a little back and forth as the match went on, and Moxley relied more on suplexes and submission attempts rather than brawling towards the end of the match. The felt rather abrupt, but this was still a nicely entertaining match.
Match 8
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Jay White (4-3-0: 8) w/ Gedo vs Juice Robinson (3-4-0: 6)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Jay White wins via submission with the JTO
Time: 23:01
Match Thoughts
Great match. Jay White was at his aggravating best in this match. Juice was desperate for a win tonight, but Jay White and Gedo did everything in their power to annoy, provoke, and punish Juice. With continuous help and distractions from Gedo, White worked on Juice’s knee for the majority of the match. Juice fought back at times, but his knee got worse and worse as the match went on. The final segment of the match was pretty tense. It was full of shenanigans that had me pulling hard for Juice and even harder against Jay White. So yeah, this match did exactly what it was supposed to do, and it did it well.
Match 9
G1 Climax 29 B Block Match
Shingo Takagi (2-5-0: 4) vs Tomohiro Ishii (4-3-0: 8) (NEVER Openweight Champ)
(referee: Red Shoes Unno)
Result: Shingo Takagi wins via pinfall after Last of the Dragon
Time: 22:41
Match Thoughts
Fantastic match! This was a brutal fight featuring strike after strike after strike. Most of the match took place in the center of the ring with both men just beating on each other and absorbing ridiculous amounts of punishment. Both men seemed to draw power from the damage they took, and hits and slams felt like they were getting harder the longer the match went. This is sure to be one of my favorite matches of the entire G1 when the tournament is all over.
Show Impressions
I think the previous night of A Block action was better overall, but tonight’s main event probably beat any single match from night 15. B Block also continues to be more competitive in terms of how many people stand a real chance of winning, so I like how both blocks feel different in that way.
Match of the Night
Shingo Takagi vs Tomohiro Ishii
It’s not a question of whether or not this will make my top ten G1 Climax 29 matches, it’s just a question of where it will place.
Standings After Night 16
Block A
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kazuchika Okada (IWGP Heavyweight Champ) | 14 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Kota Ibushi | 12 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| EVIL * | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Hiroshi Tanahashi * | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| KENTA * | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| SANADA * | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Bad Luck Fale * | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Will Ospreay * (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ) | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Zack Sabre Jr. * (RPW British Heavyweight Champ) | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Lance Archer * | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
* = eliminated
Block B
| Wrestler | Points | Wins | Losses | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hirooki Goto | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Jay White | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| John Moxley (IWGP US Champ) | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Tetsuya Naito (IWGP IC Champ) | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Tomohiro Ishii * (NEVER Openweight Champ) | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Toru Yano * (NEVER Openweight 6 Man Tag Champ) | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Jeff Cobb * | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Juice Robinson * | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Shingo Takagi * | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Taichi * | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
* = eliminated
Official Results (Japanese): https://www.njpw.co.jp/tornament/192658?showResult=1