By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax Tournament Day 10”
July 28, 2019 in in Aichi at Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
Streamed live on New Japan World
Kevin Kelly and Rocky Romero were the English broadcast team…
1. Ren Narita vbeat Yuya Uemura. Narita won with a front suplex hold.
2. Bad Luck Fale, Chase Evans, and Yujiro Takahashi beat Kota Ibushi, Tomaki Honma, and Toa Henare. Takahashi used Pimp Juice to defeat Henare.
3. Minoru Suzuki, Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer, and Yoshinobu Kanemaru beat Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Yoshi-Hashi, and Shota Umino. Kanemaru beat Umino after performing his Deep Impact finisher.
4. Evil, Sanada, and Bushi beat Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Karl Fredricks. Bushi hit MX on Fredericks and pinned him.
Powell’s POV: The results of the first four matches are straight from the New Japan website. I am watching the tournament matches listed below from bell to bell.
5. Hirooki Goto vs. Toru Yano in a B-Block tournament match. Yano offered Goto a handshake, but Goto passed. Yano posed on the ropes, then had Goto do the same. When Goto stepped down, Goto covered his face with a t-shirt and rolled him up for a two count. Yano rolled up Goto for another two count, then rolled to ringside and begged off. Goto followed, but Yano raced back to the ring and removed one of the turnbuckle pads. Yano ended up performing an inverted atomic drop and then shoved Goto into the exposed turnbuckle, which led to another two count. Goto blocked a low blow kick, applied a leg hold, and rolled Yano into a pin…
Hirooki Goto beat Toru Yano in a B-Block match.
Powell’s POV: Quick, painless, and fun. The match lasted less than two minutes and the live crowd got some laughs out of Yano’s antics.
6. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Juice Robinson in a B-Block tournament match. Ishii and Robinson exchanged chops early. Robinson hit Ishii with a hard chop, then backed him into the corner and twice said, “Come on, motherf—er.” Ishii spun Robinson around and worked him over with chops. Ishii threw some chops at a kneeling Robinson a short time later. Robinson flipped off Ishii, who then knocked him over with a chop. Romero played up the possibility that Robinsons was putting himself in pain during this match to prepare himself for his upcoming match with Jon Moxley. Ishii no-sold some of Robinson’s offense and then headbutted him. Robinson came back with a spinebuster.
Robinson went for a huracanrana from the ropes, but he crashed and burned when Ishii remained on the ropes. Ishii dropped a knee from the middle rope. Ishii threw his chops and forearms in the corner. Robinson fell to a seated position, but Ishii picked him up to continue the assault. Robinson recovered and they went back to chopping each other repeatedly. Ishii got the better of this exchange. Robinson came back and performed a cannonball on Ishii, who was seated in a corner of the ring. Robinson positioned Ishii on the top rope and headbutted him, then performed a superplex. Ishii got up. Robinson charged at him and ate a powerslam. Robinson got right up. The wrestlers had a nice exchange that led to both men falling to the mat while Romero put over the heart they were showing.
The slug fest continued with both men trading a series of forearms. Robinson staggered Ishii with a forearm and then performed a Juice Box for a good near fall. Robinson went for Pulp Friction, but Ishii avoided it. Robinson avoided a brainbuster. Ishii avoided Robinson’s finisher again. Robinson caught Ishii with a headbutt, a lariat, and a powerbomb for another good near fall. Robinson went for his finisher, but Ishii threw him off. Robinson connected with a lariat and then ran the ropes and ate one. Robinson popped right up. Ishii caught Robinson with an enzuigiri.
Ishii and Robinson traded headbutts. Ishii connected with another headbutt and then turned Robinson inside out with a lariat that led to a near fall. Ishii went for his brainbuster finisher, but Robinson countered into a Jackhammer. Ishii avoided the Left Hand From God a couple times, but connected ate a right hand. Robinson went for his finisher, but Ishii caught him with a dragon suplex and a sliding lariat for a strong near fall. Ishii performed the vertical drop brainbuster and scored the clean pin…
Tomohiro Ishii beat Juice Robinson in a B-Block match.
Powell’s POV: This was a terrific slugfest and I enjoyed this match more than any of the A-Block tournament matches that took place on Saturday. I enjoyed Robinson emulating Ishii by popping up at key times. The broadcast team did a really good job of explaining that Robinson has been a different man since losing to Jon Moxley. I like the way Romero played up the possibility that Robinson was putting himself through pain in this match to prepare himself for Moxley. Kelly and Romero really set up Moxley vs. Robinson as a big rematch for August 11.
7. Jeff Cobb vs. Taichi (w/Miho Abe, Yoshinobu Kanemaru) in a B-Block tournament match. Taichi offered a handshake, which Cobb accepted. Cobb also gave Taichi a clean rope break. Taichi offered another handshake. Cobb indicated that they’d already done that. Taichi had Miho stand on the apron for a handshake with Cobb, who told her to get down only to have Taichi attack him from behind. Cobb bounced back quickly and sent Taichi to ringside. Cobb followed and ran Taichi into the barricade. Cobb set up for a lariat, but Taichi pulled Miho in front of him. Kanemaru distracted the referee while Taichi hit Cobb with the mic stand he uses during his ring entrance. Taichi worked over Cobb at ringside before throwing him back inside the ring.
Cobb eventually fired up and hit Taichi with a flurry of strikes in the corner. Taichi came back with some kicks that knocked Cobb to the mat. Taichi threw a buzzsaw kick and covered Cobb for two. Taichi removed his tearaway pants. Cobb avoided a kick and went for his finisher, but Taichi avoided it and came back with a lariat a short time later. Cobb rallied with a gut wrench suplex, but Taichi caught him with a head kick. Cobb came right back with a piledriver that led to a two count.
Cobb performed an awkward suplex and went for his finisher, but Taichi countered into a pin for a near fall. Taichi went for a kick, but Cobb beat him to it. Cobb set up for another move, but Taichi shoved the ref in front of him. Cobb still worked over Taichi and performed a standing moonsault, then hit his Tour of the Islands finisher and scored the clean pin…
Jeff Cobb defeated Taichi in a B-Block match.
Powell’s POV: A “fine if you watched it, fine if you didn’t” type of match. They had the tough task of following up the Ishii vs. Robinson match, yet they had the crowd invested by the end.
8. Jay White (w/Gedo) vs. Shingo Takagi in a B-Block tournament match. The broadcast team recalled White claiming he would win six straight matches to equal last year’s win total. Kelly also questioned whether Takagi’s knee would be healthy given the way Jon Moxley attacked it in their match on Wednesday. Takagi clotheslined White to ringside early on and followed him to the floor. Takagi drove White’s back into the apron. Takagi brought White to the apron and set up for a move, but Gedo grabbed his leg. White came back and ended up performing a DDT at ringside.
Later, White performed a Kiwi Crusher for a near fall. Takagi came back with a combination of strikes that concluded with a clothesline that knocked White to the mat. The wrestlers exchanged forearms and eventually White fell to the mat. Takagi pulled White to his feet. White slapped Takagi, who responded with a big clothesline. White fell to the mat to avoid a Takagi move. Takagi pulled White up from the mat and into a nice suplex. Takagi went for a sliding lariat, but White caught him. They jockeyed for position and Takagi eventually got the better of the sequence.
Takagi set up for the Pumping Bomber, but Gedo grabbed his foot as he was running the ropes. Takagi set up for the move again, but White fell down to avoid it. Takagi clotheslined White, then hit the Pumping Bomber for a near fall. Takagi went for the Last of the Dragon, but White grabbed referee Red Shoes. Gedo entered the ring, but Takagi punched him out. Takagi ended up hitting Made in Japan for a great near fall. Takagi went for Last of the Dragon again, but White slipped out. They jockeyed for position, which resulted in White suplexing Takagi, who got right back to his feet, only for White to suplex him again. White performed a brainbuster and followed up with the Blade Runner for the clean win…
Jay White defeated Shingo Takagi in a B-Block match.
Powell’s POV: A good match with Takagi looking very good in defeat. I enjoy the way they found a hook for White’s matches despite his bad start. White’s claim that he’d close out with six straight wins is interesting, especially now that he’s won two straight and has some strong opponents remaining. White seems unlikely to win his block, but it’s still a fun side story and he could definitely play spoiler for others still in the hunt.
9. Tetsuya Naito vs. Jon Moxley in a B-Block tournament match. Naito stalled before the match by taking his time removing his pre-match attire. “Please, take your time,” Moxley could be heard saying sarcastically. Naito removed his pants and threw them at Moxley, which led to both wrestlers trading punches. Naito sent Moxley to ringside and then struck his pose in the middle of the ring. Naito stalled. Moxley laid down his back and motioned for Naito to enter the ring. Naito rolled inside the ring, then rolled right back out. Moxley went after Naito, who rolled into the ring and laid down on his back to continue the early gamesmanship.
Naito flipped the switch and attacked Moxley on the floor. Naito and Moxley fought into the crowd. Moxley got the better of it and had Naito lying outside the barricade when he laid down inside the barricade to mock Naito with his own pose. They fought into the crowd briefly, then Moxley brought Naito to ringside and ran him shoulder first into the ring post. Back inside the ring, Moxley did his own rope run a struck a version of Naito’s tranquillo pose. Naito returned to the ring and Moxley worked him over. Moxley applied an armhold. Naito broke free, but Moxley chopped him in the corner. Naito spat in Moxley’s face, then Moxley immediately returned the favor. Moxley lightly slapped Naito’s face and asked, “What you got?”
Moxley remained the aggressor and pulled a chair out from underneath the ring, then wrapped it around the leg of Naito. Moxley grabbed another chair and wound up to hit the other chair, but referee Red Shoes took it away from him. Naito tossed a chair at Moxley and then kicked it into his face. Naito DDT’d Moxley onto another chair at ringside. Naito sat Moxley on the chair, then got a running start on the ramp and dropkicked Moxley. Naito tossed Moxley inside the ring and performed a missile dropkick. A short time later, Naito used a neckbreaker to get a two count. Naito caught Moxley going for a kick and spat in his face. Moxley came right back with a flurry of strikes. Moxley sat Naito on the top rope and performed a butterfly superplex that led to a two count.
Moxley went for a Regal Knee, but Naito avoided it and executed a spinning DDT for a two count. Naito and Moxley traded punches and stuffed Naito going for an enzuigiri. Moxley bit the eyebrow of Naito, who broke free and threw a flying forearm. Naito set Moxley on the top rope and performed a scary huracanrana. Naito charged at Moxley, who blasted him with a spinning lariat. Moxley drilled a front DDT for a good near fall. Moxley followed up with a Regal Knee for another strong near fall. Naito avoided a Death Rider, then bit the head of Moxley, who responded by biting Naito. Moments later, Naito connected with an enzuigiri and a Destino for a great near fall. Naito came back with a Death Rider for another great near fall. Moxley performed another Death Rider and pinned Naito clean…
Jon Moxley defeated Tetsuya Naito in a B-Block match.
After the match, Moxley said Naito is loco. Moxley thanked the fans for witnessing the moment when people who doubted him will change their minds. He said this is their last chance to get on the bandwagon. Moxley said he had a message to the obstacles that stand in front of him. “I will destroy you,” Moxley said. He said he’s willing it to happen and he will win the G1 29 tournament.
Powell’s POV: An entertaining match with an outcome that surprised me. I thought we’d see Naito get the win to keep him closer to the leader, but I’m not complaining. I love what they’ve done with Moxley in the tournament thus far. The broadcast team was playing up the Moxley vs. Robinson match for the final night of the B-Block matches, so it will be interesting to see if the block ends up coming down to that match.
Overall, this was a good show and the more enjoyable of the two weekend events. Ishii vs. Robinson was the best match of the weekend, and the Moxley vs. Naito main event was also strong. I’m really looking forward to Moxley vs. Yano on Thursday. It won’t be a your typical G1 in-ring classic, but it will have drama given that unbeaten Moxley is facing the king of the G1 upsets. My reviews for both shows should be more timely. This report was delayed because I was traveling back home on Sunday from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame weekend in Waterloo, Iowa.
The scoring for the round robin tournament is two points for a victory, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss.
The A-Block Standings: Kazuchika Okada has 10 points, Kenta and Kota Ibushi have 8 points, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Evil have 6 points, Lance Archer and Will Ospreay have 4 points, Sanada, Zack Sabre Jr., and Bad Luck Fale have 2 points.
The B-Block Standings: Jon Moxley has 10 points, Tomohiro Ishii and Juice Robinson have 6 points, and Jay White, Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi, Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano, Jeff Cobb, and Taichi have 4 points.
The A-Block resumes Tuesday in Kagawa, Japan at Tkamatsu City General Gymnasium with the following matches: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Evil, Kenta vs. Sanada, Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer, Will Ospreay vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Kota Ibushi vs. Bad Luck Fale.
The B-Block resumes Thursday in Fukuoka, Japan at Fukuoka Prefectural Gymnasium with the following matches: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Hirooki Goto, Taichi vs. Jay White, Juice Robinson vs. Tetsuya Naito, Toru Yano vs. Jon Moxley, and Jeff Cobb vs. Shingo Takagi.
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