By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 34 Night Four”
July 25, 2024 in Kagawa, Japan at Sunmesse Kagawa
Streamed live on New Japan World
This year’s tournament is comprised of 20 competitors, split into two 10-man Blocks. This is a round-robin tournament, so each man will have nine tournament matches. This show features just the B Block in tournament action. Walker Stewart provided commentary.
* I want to point out that all 10 A Block wrestlers are in action in the four preview tags. This is why I think the 32-man tournament format is far superior. It not only meant all eight matches on each show were tournament matches (A/B Blocks one show; C/D Blocks the next), it meant NEEDED days off for the wrestlers as they only appeared on every other show. Anyone who watched Tetsuya Naito-Jake Lee on Tuesday… well, it was Naito’s third singles match in four days, and it really showed. He was a step slow, a bit sluggish, and it hurt the quality of the match. I would much rather have Naito get some additional days off than travel and have to wrestle in this meaningless undercard tag match on this show.
1. “Just 5 Guys” Sanada and Taka Michinoku defeated Toru Yano and Katsuya Murashima at 6:34. Yano and Katsuya attacked at the bell. Katsuya hit a dropkick on Sanada at 3:00. Yano did his comedy with a corner pad. Sanada tied Yano in a Paradise Lock. Taka nailed a superkick on Katsuya. He tied up Katsuya on the mat and cranked back on his head until Katsuya tapped out. A rare win for Taka!
2. “United Empire” Francesco Akira, Callum Newman, and Great-O-Khan defeated Shota Umino, Tomoaki Honma, and Shoma Kato at 7:49. Callum and Kato opened. Newman hit a running boot on Honma at 2:00. O-Khan and Shota brawled into the crowd. Back in the ring, Shota hit a basement dropkick on Newman at 5:00, then a Northern Lights Suplex on O-Khan for a nearfall. He hit a dropkick on O-Khan. Akira and Kato traded forearm strikes. Akira hit the Fireball running kneestrike to the back of Kato’s head for the pin.
3. “Bullet Club War Dogs” Jake Lee and Gabe Kidd defeated “The Mighty Don’t Kneel” Zack Sabre Jr. and Kosei Fujita at 7:40. The BCWD attacked from behind before the bell, with Kidd beating up Kosei in the ring while Lee and Sabre brawled on the floor. Lee whipped Sabre into the guardrail at 1:30. In the ring, Kosei hit some chops that Jake no-sold, and Jake bodyslammed him. Sabre finally got in and hit some European Uppercuts on Lee. Kosei hit a German Suplex on Kidd for a nearfall at 6:30. Kidd hit a brainbuster for a believable nearfall. I thought that was it. He then hit a piledriver for the pin.
4. “Los Ingobernables de Japon” Tetsuya Naito and Shingo Takagi defeated “House of Torture” EVIL and Dick Togo at 8:44. EVIL teased opening against Naito but he tagged out to Togo. The HoT worked over Naito early on. Shingo finally got the hot tag at 6:00 and he hit some chops and blows on EVIL. Togo choked Shingo with his wire. Naito hit an enzuigiri on Togo. Shingo immediately hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline on Togo for the pin. A dull, lifeless preview tag.
* Callum Newman joined Walker Stewart commentary; my first time hearing him speak.
5. Hirooki Goto (2) defeated Boltin Oleg (2) in a B Block tournament match at 10:17. A feeling-out process and standing reversals to open. Oleg knocked him down with a shoulder tackle. Oleg applied a Boston Crab at 3:00. Goto dropped him with a clothesline, then a back suplex for a nearfall at 5:00. Oleg flipped Goto in his arms, then hit the gut-wrench suplex. Goto hit a neckbreaker over his knee. Oleg hit a dropkick and they were both down at 7:30. Oleg hit a Vader Bomb for a nearfall; he went for Kamikaze (forward Finlay Roll), but Goto escaped, and Hirooki applied a sleeper. Oleg escaped and hit a Sabin-style Cradle Shock for a nearfall at 9:00. Oleg again went for Kamikaze but Goto escaped and got a rollup for a believable nearfall! He hit a headbutt that dropped Boltin! He hit the GTR inverted DDT move for the pin.
6. Ren Narita (4) defeated Jeff Cobb (2) in a B Block tournament match at 14:58. Ren came out first but then he left the ring; he attacked Cobb from behind as Jeff walked to the ring! (I start my stopwatch at first contact). They brawled in the crowd, and Ren tossed Cobb against the wall. Cobb hit an impressive overhead release belly-to-belly suplex, with Ren landing on hard, open chairs! Ouch! Walker Stewart reminded us the bell hasn’t been rang. Cobb stopped to give the ‘crowns up’ hand motion to Newman on commentary. Cobb chopped Narita against the guardrail at ringside. Cobb got in the ring and the bell rang at 2:56 to officially begin. Cobb ‘surfed’ on Narita’s back.
They brawled back to the floor and back into the crowd, and Narita struck Cobb’s knee. Walker said these two haven’t fought since 2020 during the pandemic. Cobb rolled back into the ring at 7:00 to avoid a countout, but Narita kept him grounded, and Cobb sold the pain in his knee. Ren switched to twisting the left ankle and he cranked on it. Cobb hit a leaping crossbody block and they were both down at 9:30. He hit a leaping shoulder tackle. Cobb hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall.
Ren hit the Guillotine (flying kneestrike to the throat) and they were both down at 11:30. Narita went back to an anklelock and he grapevined the leg, but Cobb reached the ropes. Cobb caught Ren and hit an F5 faceplant. “He threw him like a pizza!” Callum said while laughing. Ren pushed Cobb into the ref and Ren hit a chop block to the back of the knee. Ren got his push-up bar but Cobb blocked him from using it. As the ref was confiscating the weapon, Ren hit a low blow uppercut, a kneestrike to the sternum, then the Double-cross (X-Factor) faceplant for the cheap pin. So, the official time is closer to 12:02.
7. El Phantasmo (w/Jado) (2) defeated Yota Tsuji (2) in a B Block tournament match at 17:57. Tsuji beat ELP in the New Japan Cup a few months ago in their last singles meeting. They traded rollups early on and ELP got a believable nearfall at 2:00! Yota looked startled and shaken at how close he came to losing there! They got up and traded chops, which seems like a bad idea for ELP. Phantasmo set up for a dive to the floor, but Yota caught him with a kick. Yota dropped ELP face-first on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Tsuji hit a Lungblower move to the ribs, and he applied a leglock around ELP’s waist and was cutting off his breathing.
They got up and traded chops. Callum said the body-scissors lock was having an impact. ELP hit a dropkick, then his Lionsault for a nearfall at 7:30. ELP put Yota on his shoulders and did an airplane spin, dropped Yota to the mat, and got a nearfall. He dove through the ropes and crashed onto Tsuji on the floor. Phantasmo then hit a springboard splash, launching himself over the guardrail and onto Yota amongst the crowd, and they were both down on the floor. They got back into the ring at 10:00. ELP sold pain in his knee; he missed a Lionsault. Tsuji hit a Dragonscrew Legwhip, and he slammed Phantasmo’s knee onto the mat, and he applied a modified Texas Cloverleaf!
ELP reached the ropes at 12:00 but was selling the pain in his knee. He hit a kick right on the damaged left knee. ELP peeled off his elbow pads and they traded forearm strikes. ELP hit an enzuigiri. Yota hit a Curbstomp for a nearfall at 14:30. He hit a second Curbstomp. ELP hit a tornado DDT. Yota hit a powerbomb move. ELP leapfrogged to avoid a Gene Blaster spear! ELP hit a CR2 (modified Styles Clash) for a believable nearfall. ELP went for a frogsplash, but Tsuji got his knees up to block it. However, Phantasmo got an inside cradle for the pin! (This easily could have been ruled a double pin, as Callum and Walker weren’t entirely sure who won there.)
8. David Finlay (w/Gedo) (2) defeated Henare (4) in a B Block tournament match at 16:09. Finlay is a favorite to reach the playoffs so he really needs a win here. They immediately traded forearm strikes. Finlay rolled to the floor and he spit on Henare’s NEVER Openweight Title then stomped on it! Back in the ring, they traded more forearm strikes. They brawled to the floor, with Finlay slamming Henare back-first into the guardrail. In the ring, Finlay tied up Henare’s head and cranked back on it, then hit an elbow drop on the lower back. Finlay nailed the backbreaker over his knee at 6:00, and he immediately put Henare in a Boston Crab. Henare hit a Samoan Drop at 8:00 and they were both down. He hit a senton for a nearfall but sold the pain in his back.
Henare hit the Berzerker Bomb for a nearfall, then a punch to the gut, and Finlay was down on the mat at 11:00, clutching his stomach. He hit a clothesline and was fired up. Finlay caught Henare’s head and hit a DDT. They got up and traded more forearm strikes. Finlay hit a discus clothesline for a nearfall, then a Dominator swinging faceplant for a nearfall at 14:00. Finlay nailed a standing powerbomb with a jackknife cover for a nearfall. Henare nailed a uranage, then the Rampage football tackle for a believable nearfall. Finlay got a rollup with a handful of tights for a nearfall, then the Overkill (Go To Sleep-style kneestrike to the sternum) for the pin. Intense match.
9. Yuya Uemura (6) defeated Konosuke Takeshita (4) in a B Block tournament match at 23:10. The winner will be in sole possession of first place. Walker said both men are 29 and this is the first time they’ve been in a singles match against each other. (I thought Uemura was a bit younger than that.) A feeling-out process early on. Takeshita hit his leaping clothesline. Ueumura clotheslined Takeshita to the floor; he went for a plancha but Takeshita caught him with a forearm strike. Konosuke nailed a brainbuster on the entrance ramp! Back in the ring, Takeshita was in charge and he kept Yuya grounded. They got up and traded chops at 9:00.
Yuya hit a deep armdrag and a dropkick and they were both down. Uemura hit a high back suplex for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a top-rope superplex at 11:30 and they were both down. Takeshita hit a flip dive to the floor. Yuya struck Takeshita’s arm, and Konosuke sold pain in his elbow. Yuya hit a running dropkick on the damaged elbow as it was against the guardrail. Back in the ring, Yuya hit some chops as the 15:00 call was spot-on. He hit a crossbody block and he applied a crossarm breaker on the damaged arm. Takeshita hit a Poison Rana; Yuya hit a German Suplex; Takeshita hit a clothesline; Yuya hit a dropkick, and they were both down at 17:00. Awesome sequence and the crowd was HOT.
Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Yuya hit a Dragon Suplex for a nearfall. Yuya missed a frogsplash, but he hit a Pele Kick and they were both down at 19:00. Takeshita dropped him with a forearm strike but was still selling pain in his left arm. Yuya went back to a crossarm breaker, but Takeshita reached the ropes at 21:30. Yuya nailed the frogsplash this time and got a nearfall. Takeshita hit a wheelbarrow German Suplex. However, Yuya Uemura locked Takeshita’s arms, hit a headbutt, then the Deadbolt (belly-to-belly double-undehook suplex with a high bridge) for the clean pin! Wow that was good, and I consider that a mild upset.
Final Thoughts: An absolutely stellar main event. Both men have really delivered in the ring in their first three G1 matches this year. A great back-and-forth match and it felt like either man was going to win this one. Nothing else really jumped out as must-see, but I’ll still give Finlay-Henare second and ELP-Tsuji third. This was definitely a night of upsets; no one is going to go winless here, so ELP, Goto and Finlay all needed their respective wins to move to 1-2,. The tournament takes a day off, with the A Block back in action on Saturday featuring Naito vs. EVIL and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jake Lee.
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