By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
New Japan Pro Wrestling “G1 Climax 34 Night Three”
July 23, 2024 in Hiroshima, Japan at Hiroshima SunPlaza Hall
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 A Block in action along with one B Block match, as Konosuke Takeshita will take on Jeff Cobb. (It is just their second tournament match, while the A Block is competing in their third.) Walker Stewart provided commentary.
1. Katsuya Murashima, Oleg Boltin, and Toru Yano defeated Hirooki Goto, Shoma Kato, and Tomoaki Honma at 5:09. This match alone proves that the 32-man format with no preview tags is a superior tournament system; I have zero interest in watching anyone wrestle who isn’t in the tournament. Oleg and Goto opened; they’ll meet in tournament action on Thursday. Yano fought Honma, then the Young Lions battled. Oleg put Kato in a bear hug and flipped him around in his arms at 4:30, before hitting a gutwrench suplex. Oleg applied a Boston Crab, and Kato tapped out. It was okay, but honestly, there was no point in having this match.
2. “Los Ingobernobles de Japon” Bushi and Yota Tsuji defeated “Guerrillas of Destiny” El Phantasmo and Jado at 7:04. Stewart continued to tell a story that El Phantasmo is dejected and despondent after all his GoD teammates have left him behind. ELP and Yota opened. Jado and Bushi entered at 2:00. Yota hit a Stinger Splash, then a splash to the mat, on ELP for a nearfall at 4:30. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Yota hit a hard kneestrike to the collarbone and Stomp to pin Jado. Decent.
3. “United Empire” Francesco Akira and Henare defeated “Bullet Club War Dogs” David Finlay and Gedo at 8:13. Finlay remains a favorite to make the playoffs, even with his 0-2 start. Akira and Gedo opened; the first of these matches that didn’t open with a G1 preview. Finlay and Henare brawled on the floor. In the ring, Finlay beat up Akira, hitting chops and keeping him grounded. Henare finally tagged in at 5:00 and he traded blows with Finlay. Henare hit a senton for a nearfall. Akira and Gedo got back in. Henare snuck up and put Gedo in a Full Nelson, but Finlay made the save. Akira hit the Fireball/running double knees to the back of the head for the pin on Gedo.
* El Phantasmo joined commentary.
4. Konosuke Takeshita (4) defeated Jeff Cobb (2) in a B Block tournament match at 10:28. Again, because Takeshita competed in a DDT event Sunday, this match was delayed until this show, so each man is 1-0 entering the bout. This is a first-time-ever meeting. Takeshita hit his flying clothesline in the first minute. Cobb hit a shoulder tackle that sent Takeshita flying. Cobb ‘surfed’ on Takeshita’s back. Konosuke hit a forearm that sent Cobb to the floor. Takeshita then hit a flip dive to the floor at 3:00. In the ring, Cobb hit a dropkick on Takeshita, who was on the corner. Impressive. Cobb hit a second-rope gutwrench superplex! He hit a standing moonsault for a nearfall at 4:30.
Takeshita hit a top-rope superplex. This is intense. Cobb tried a German Suplex but Takeshita rotated and landed on his feet, and Konosuke hit a Poison Rana! Cobb hit a clothesline and they were both down. Takeshita hit a German Suplex for a nearfal at 7:30. Cobb fired back with a Spin Cycle swinging back suplex, then a hard uranage for a nearfall. Takeshita hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Cobb set up for Tour of the Islands but Takeshita escaped. They traded kneestrikes. ELP was shocked we were just at ten minutes, as he thought we were at 15. Takeshita hit a Raging Fire (spinning sit-out powerbomb) for the pin. That was incredible for the time given.
5. Zack Sabre Jr. (w/Kosei Fujita) (6) defeated Callum Newman (2) in an A Block tournament match at 11:56. Stewart and ELP talked about how Sabre has said if he doesn’t win G1 this year, he feels his career is meaningless. Mat reversals early on; this is a first-ever singles match. Sabre immediately tied up the left arm. Newman hit a dive to the floor at 3:00. In the ring, Sabre hit a Pele Kick to the left shoulder and Callum was selling the pain in his arm. Sabre twisted the left wrist and fingers and stomped on the hand at 4:30. They traded big boots, and Newman hit his running Mafia Kick; the five-minute announcement was a full minute late.
Sabre hit some European Uppercuts. Newman hit an enzuigiri and a buzzsaw kick for a nearfall at 7:00. Sabre hit a tornado DDT and into a front guillotine choke, but Newman hit a suplex to escape. Newman went for a spin kick but Sabre caught the leg and applied a reverse Figure Four Leglock in the middle of the ring, but Newman reached the ropes at 9:00. They traded rollups for nearfalls; the 10:00 call is now almost spot-on. Newman hit a shotgun dropkick and he went for an OsCutter but Sabre blocked it. Callum instead applied a mid-ring Octopus stretch, and he turned it into a Code Red for a nearfall. Sabre applied a Triangle Choke, but Callum hit a powerbomb. However, Sabre locked in that Triangle Choke, and Callum verbally submitted. Good match.
6. Shingo Takagi (4) defeated Great-O-Khan (0) in an A Block tournament match at 11:04. O-Khan hit a suplex and stomped on Shingo early on, and he went for a Triangle Choke but Shingo quickly got to the ropes. Shingo hit some chops and forearm strikes. Shingo hit a sliding clothesline to the back at 3:00. O-Khan hit his Mongolian Chops. Shingo hit a senton; the commentators talked about how Shingo has never reached a G1 finals. O-Khan hit a few fireman carries.
Shingo hit a Pumping Bomber clothesline at 7:00. He hit a second-rope superplex and they were both down. O-Khan placed Shingo on his back and spun him to the back, and got a nearfall at 9:30. Shingo hit a DDT. O-Khan hit a clothesline. Shingo nailed a Dragon Suplex and another clothesline but O-Khan kicked out at one. Shingo hit another Pumping Bomber clothesline for the pin. Intense; this didn’t need to be any longer than this. A rough start for Great-O-Khan, who is now 0-3.
Vetter note: Three men from each Block will reach the playoffs this year. The Block winner gets a first-round bye while the second- and third-place finishers meet in the first round of the playoffs. I mention it here because at 0-3, Great-O-Khan is NOT eliminated; someone could easily reach the playoffs at 5-4.
7. Gabe Kidd (4) defeated Shota Umino (2) in an A Block tournament match at 15:56. They glared at each other from across the ring at the bell for 30 seconds before an intense lockup. They traded chops and forearm strikes, and Shota hit a dropkick at 2:30. Gabe bit the forehead and hit a back suplex. Gabe grounded him and hit some hard kicks. He unloaded some LOUD chops, then a headbutt that dropped Shota. He applied a Boston Crab at 6:00, but Shota reached the ropes. Shota hit a Cross Rhodes-style swinging faceplant at 8:00, then a tornado DDT and a sideslam for a nearfall. He hit a running swinging neckbreaker. Gabe hit a straight punch and they both collapsed at 9:30.
They traded forearm strikes while on their knees, then while standing. Shota hit an enzuigiri; Gabe hit a clothesline; Shota hit an Exploder Suplex at 11:00, then a half-nelson suplex. They traded loud slaps to the face, and Gabe collapsed at 13:30. Kidd again bit the ear and hit a piledriver for a believable nearfall. Gabe went to a Lion Tamer-style vertical Boston Crab with a knee in Shota’s back. Gabe released it and hit a Doctor Bomb/gutwrench powerbomb for the pin. That was so incredibly intense. ELP said Shota’s hip is definitely not at 100%. They also wondered if Gabe lost a tooth in the match.
8. EVIL (w/Dick Togo) (6) defeated Sanada (2) in an A Block tournament match at 18:04. These two used to be tag team champions together in LIJ. They are 4-4 all time in singles matchups. Sanada put a House of Torture T-shirt on, and they shook hands. EVIL spoke on the mic; we don’t have Chris Charlton to translate. Sanada laid down and pretended to let EVIL pin him, but of course, Sanada rolled him up for a nearfall, then Sanada tore off the HoT T-shirt. EVIL got back on the mic and was clearly livid at Sanada. EVIL tried to leave but Sanada dragged him back in and tied him in the Paradise Lock at 1:30 and kicked his butt. Togo tripped Sanada and was booed.
EVIL whipped Sanada into the guardrail. As Sanada tried to get back into the ring, EVIL shoved Sanada off the apron, with Sanada again slamming against the guardrail at 4:30. In the ring, EVIL hit an Irish Whip into an exposed turnbuckle, and Sanada continued to sell the back pain from those blows. Sanada hit some chops and a Russian Leg Sweep at 7:00, but he sold the pain in his lower back. Sanada hit a dropkick and a plancha to the floor. EVIL hit a kick that was nearly a low blow at 9:00. EVIL hit a fisherman’s suplex for a nearfall and remained in control.
Sanada applied the Skull End dragon sleeper at 10:30. EVIL whipped Sanada into the ref! Togo immediately jumped in the ring and stomped on Sanada. EVIL got a chair but Sanada hit a dropkick onto the chair. Sanada hit a Shining Wizard at 13:30, but he couldn’t hit Deadfall. EVIL hit a low blow uppercut, so Sanada hit a low blow uppercut! EVIL nailed Darkness Falls powerbomb for a nearfall at 15:30. Sanada hit the Magic Screw swinging neckbreaker and they were both down.
Sanada nailed a top-rope moonsault for a believable nearfall. He again couldn’t hit Deadfall. Sanada hit an Everything is Evil uranage on EVIL! He hit a plancha to the floor on Togo. Back in the ring, Sanada hit a Shining Wizard to the back of the head. EVIL again hit a low blow, then a swinging faceplant for the cheap pin. I have predicted EVIL would lose each of his three matches, but he’s 3-0.
9. Tetsuya Naito (2) defeated Jake Lee (2) in an A Block tournament match at 17:03. Naito again took forever to disrobe. Lee tossed Naito neck-first onto the middle rope and stomped him. They brawled to the floor at 2:00 and traded chops. In the ring, Naito hit a Rude Awakening standing neckbreaker. Lee slammed Naito to the mat at 4:00 and celebrated. Lee whipped Naito in the guardrail at ringside, and they went into the crowd, and up onto the stage, where Lee hit a DDT at 6:00. Naito barely got back into the ring at the 19-count; Lee immediately hit a running Penalty Kick for a nearfall and he locked in a sleeper to ground Naito.
Naito hit a dropkick to the back at 9:30 and they were both down. Naito hit another standing neckbreaker for a nearfall. They got up and traded forearm strikes. Lee stood on Naito’s chest and cackled like a madman at 12:00 and was booed. Jake Lee chokeslammed Naito off the second-rope to the mat. Naito hit an enzuigiri, but he couldn’t quite land a Destino attempt. Lee hit a hard kneelift to the gut and a high back suplex for a nearfall at 15:30. Lee hit a spin kick to the head and he laughed some more, and the crowd rallied for Naito. Naito hit a Destino out of nowhere for the pin! A solid match; at times this felt like it was going at three-quarters speed. Lee was livid in disbelief he lost.
Final Thoughts: A show that peaked early. Takeshita-Cobb earned best match, and Kidd-Umino takes second. I’ll even go with Shingo vs. O-Khan for third. Naito reminds me too much of Randy Orton; the offense is so methodical. He can be carried to a great match, but this one was a bit of a chore. EVIL’s match was typical House of Torture action, with the outside interference and low blows changing outcomes at the last moment. The tournament takes a day off and resumes on Thursday with the B Block back in action, plus more meaningless preview tags.
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