NJPW G1 Climax 29 night 11 results: Tanahashi vs. EVIL

A Block action headed to Kagawa this morning as we are now at night eleven of the 29th G1 Climax, with Kazuchika Okada facing EVIL in the main event.

Prelim matches:

– YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto and Yota Tsuji defeated Tomohiro Ishii, Tomoaki Honma and Yuya Uemura

YOSHI-HASHI submitted Uemura with the butterfly lock.

– Toru Yano and Ren Narita defeated Jon Moxley and Shota Umino

Yano pinned Umino after he shoved Umino into Moxley, low blowed then pinned him.

– Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Taichi, Minoru Suzuki and Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Owens pinned Kanemaru following the package piledriver.

– Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI defeated Juice Robinson, Jeff Cobb and Toa Henare

Takagi pinned Henare with the pumping bomber.

A Block: Kota Ibushi defeated Bad Luck Fale

This was perfectly fine. It lasted exactly as long as it needed to and aside from when Fale was on offense, it didn’t drag. Easily one of Fale’s better matches thus far.

Fale jumped Ibushi before the bell rang and took him outside. They set up a spot where they try and keep Ibushi from entering the ring, but he dodges a Jado kendo stick attack and makes it in on time. Fale splashes him and wears him down.

The ref, per usual, is easily distracted by Fale as Owens attacks Ibushi with a right. He misses a charge in the corner, which allows Ibushi to wear him down with kicks. He went to the top rope, but Chase Owens got on the apron, allowing Fale to strike with a running charge and splash. 

Ibushi cut him off and went for the kamigoye but Fale escaped. Jado struck Ibushi with a kendo stick shot and Fale hit the grenade, but Ibushi kicked out. Fale went for the bad luck fall, but Ibushi escaped and went for a crucifix. After the ref kicked away Jado, Ibushi was able to land it for a nearfall. He followed that with the boma ye and kamigoye and that was it.

A Block: Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Will Ospreay

This was real good, loved the transitions and counters by both men. This was a total Sabre match, so it was cool to see Ospreay adapt to his style. This got some great heat towards the end and built up wonderfully.

The two exchange some mat wrestling before Sabre is sent to the outside by Ospreay. The two battled near the ring as Ospreay chopped Sabre. The two exchanged holds, with Sabre using his feet to crank Ospreay’s injured neck. Sabre takes him down with a stranglehold, but Ospreay reverses, escapes, and takes out Sabre with a handspring kick.

Ospreay connects with the Robinson special, but Sabre immediately gets up and focuses on Ospreay’s arm. Ospreay escapes and goes for the stormbreaker but the two exchange nearfalls until Ospreay launches off with the Oscutter. Sabre grabs him and goes for a sleeper, but Ospreay pushes himself over Sabre and connects with the Oscutter for a nearfall.

Sabre took down Ospreay after an elbow strike attempt that caused Ospreay to hit the ropes. Ospreay blocked the Zack Driver but Sabre managed to latch on to a guillotine. Ospreay powered out of it and landed a brainbuster. Ospreay tried for stormbreaker again, but Sabre transitioned into a European clutch, then nailed Ospreay with the PK.

Sabre catches Ospreay with a triangle as he launched off the top rope with a shooting star press. Ospreay countered with a deadlift powerbomb and the SSP. Ospreay went for the stormbreaker but Sabre countered with an Octopus hold. It didn’t take long for Ospreay to submit once it was applied.

A Block: Kazuchika Okada defeated Lance Archer

This was great, the textbook definition of what a top guy vs. giant match should be. Archer played his role perfectly here and continues his streak of great matches while Okada did an excellent job making the comeback. It doesn’t reach the better matches of this tournament but it was perfect for what it was supposed to be.

Action quickly spilled to the outside as Archer threw Okada into the barricades. He continued in the ring, doing a ropewalk into a moonsault. Okada went for a moonsault, but Archer swatted him away.

Okada managed to build momentum after cutting off Archer, connecting with the elbow off the top. But as he went for the rainmaker pose, Archer hit the EBD claw then followed that with the pounce. Okada tried to hit some short arm clotheslines, but Archer hit a big lariat and a chokeslam.

Archer laid out Okada with blackout, but Okada got his foot on the ropes at the last second. Okada took him down with a dropkick after a charge. A big missile dropkick follows. Archer reverses a tombstone into a blackout, but Okada escapes and hits a clothesline. Archer went for the EBD claw, but Okada instead hit the rainmaker and pinned Archer.

A Block: SANADA defeated KENTA

This was good, not great. A nice back and forth battle between two athletic guys that eventually went to a finish. It will likely not be remembered in the long term.

I guess this is a recurring theme on this show as this quickly spilled out onto the outside. KENTA tripped SANADA into the barricade He then took him back to the ring where he took him down with a headlock, then attacked SANADA with a penalty kick.

After some more offense, SANADA leapfrogged over KENTA and took him outside, planting a pescado. SANADA was on offense until KENTA landed a double foot stomp and signaled for the GTS. SANADA blocked the attempt and rolled up KENTA, but KENTA instead applied the Game Over crossface. SANADA fought it off, getting to the ropes.

SANADA hit a TKO and went for the moonsault, but KENTA got the knees up. The two exchanged strikes. SANADA blocked a penalty kick attempt, then laid out KENTA with the cold skull. He went for the moonsault, and this time he connected for the win.

A Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated EVIL

This was your classic really great NJPW main event. This easily got the most heat of the night and the last few minutes had the crowd going wild  for the nearfalls. 

Good bak and forth wrestling to get things started, with Tanahashi getting the better of things following a crossbody off the middle rope. EVIL cuts him off, grounds him and sinks in a figure four. Tanahashi reverses it, but EVIL counters back. 

Tanahashi and EVIL strike as they get back on their feet. Tanahashi went for the slingblade but EVIL threw him to the outside. Tanahashi held on skinned the cat, but walked right into a German suplex.. Tanahashi cut off EVIL as he went to the outside, then hit a giant high fly flow to the floor.

EVIL cut off Tanahashi by using Umino as a base to plant Tanahashi with the magic killer. Both men laid on the floor and didn’t make it back to the ring until 19. Tanahashi grabs EVIL and goes for the cloverleaf, but EVIL kept escaping. The two wind up going back down after a big clothesline by EVIL.

EVIL took Tanahashi to the top rope and hit a giant superplex, then followed with darkness falls. EVIL went for the Everything is EVIL but Tanahashi hit two twist and shout neckbreakers and hit the slingblade. He went for the high fly flow, but EVIL got the knees up and rolled up Tanahashi for a close nearfall. 

The two start exchanging strikes from here, with EVIL getting the better of things. He hit another big lariat. He attempted the Everything is Evil again, but when Tanahashi blocked it EVIL retaliated with a big headbutt. He went for it again, but Tanahashi hit a big dragon suplex and hit the high fly flow twice for the win.

Hiroshi Tanahashi closed out the show with his usual sweet air guitar moves, all well selling his knee from the match.

G1 STANDINGS 

A BLOCK

Kazuchika Okada 12
KENTA 8
Hiroshi Tanahashi 8
Kota Ibushi 8
EVIL 6
Lance Archer 4
Will Ospreay 4
SANADA 4
Zack Sabre Jr. 4
Bad Luck Fale 2

B BLOCK

Jon Moxley 10
Juice Robinson 6
Tomohiro Ishii 6
Shingo Takagi 4
Toru Yano 4
Taichi 4
Tetsuya Naito 4
Jeff Cobb 4
Hirooki Goto 4
Jay White 4