NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING
G1 CLIMAX 32 NIGHT 19
AUGUST 17, 2022
NIPPON BUDOKAN
CHIYODA, TOKYO, JAPAN

Watch: NJPW World

We’re on the last stop before the G1 Final as Kazuchika Okada, Tama Tonga, Tetsuya Naito, and Will Ospreay all look to secure their place in the final of the largest G1 in history. We’re also sure to have some shenanigans in the undercards, as you never know what to expect in the Budokan. Let’s do it!

CHAOS (HIROOKI GOTO, TOMOHIRO ISHII, YOH & YOSHI-HASHI) DEF. SUZUKI-GUN (DOUKI, LANCE ARCHER, TAKA MICHINOKU & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU)

A solid opening to tonight’s proceedings. Like most things involving YOH, it was inoffensive and completely unremarkable. YOH pins Taka, and I deduct a quarter star for having to listen to YOH’s music at the end of this. **3/4

DANGEROUS TEKKERS (TAICHI & ZACK SABRE JR.) DEF. TEAM FILTHY (ROYCE ISAACS & TOM LAWLOR)

Filthy Tom gave Zack a George Michael record as a peace offering after Zack’s embarrassing loss last night, but Zack didn’t appreciate the Boy George record that Tom then pulled out. These two would later have an excellent grappling exchange that makes me want to see them in a big-time singles match down the road. Zack taps out Isaacs with an armbar that almost certainly has a wacky name referencing a British comedy bit. ***1/2

TMDK (BAD DUDE TITO & JONAH) DEF. GREAT BASH HEEL (TOGI MAKABE & TOMOAKI HONMA)

JONAH gets the win here over Honma with a lariat. There was more talk about the full TMDK unit coming in, and with how JONAH has been booked in this tournament, they would be big players in this company if they all came in. **1/2

BULLET CLUB (BAD LUCK FALE, CHASE OWENS & JUICE ROBINSON) DEF. UNITED EMPIRE (AARON HENARE, GREAT-O-KHAN & JEFF COBB)

Another solid prelim match, helped by Fale not being in it very much. It’s a bit disappointing seeing Juice Robinson down the card here, but that’s just how the cookie crumbled here. Maybe I’m bummed because he was my pick for D Block. He’s Rock Hard! How could I not pick him for D Block? Anyway, after a fun closing stretch, Chase Owens pinned Henare with a big package piledriver. ***

BULLET CLUB (EL PHANTASMO, EVIL, KENTA & YUJIRO TAKAHASHI) DEF. LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPON (BUSHI, HIROMU TAKAHASHI, SANADA & SHINGO TAKAGI)

The focus of this one was between Phantasmo and Shingo, with Shingo’s neck causing him issues after the CR-3 he took last night. Phantasmo also mocked him in the post-match, so I would expect those two to have some dealings over the KOPW trophy that I remembered Shingo had. KENTA and his new book tapped out BUSHI with Game Over. ***1/4

DAVID FINLAY, HIROSHI TANAHASHI, KUSHIDA & TORU YANO DEF. BULLET CLUB (DOC GALLOWS, JAY WHITE, KARL ANDERSON & TAIJI ISHIMORI)

Several interweaving stories here, between KUSHIDA chasing Ishimori and the Junior Title, Jay White and Tanahashi’s long history, and most importantly, Doc Gallows wanting to get his heat back on Toru Yano after their classic at Dominion. He didn’t get it, as Yano got the rollup win on him here. Let’s get to the business end of this card here. ***

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 32 SEMI FINAL MATCH
KAZUCHIKA OKADA DEF. TAMA TONGA

Last year in the G1, Tama Tonga got the biggest singles win of his career to that point, being the only blemish on Kazuchika Okada’s G1 record in 2021.

This year, Tama walked into the semifinals not as a way of making the numbers work, but with a chance of making the G1 Final. He had a win against the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in his pocket, and he was free of the shackles of Bullet Club that were holding him back. He wasn’t here to represent anyone else or fly anyone else’s flag. Tonight, he was fighting to cement his name and live up to the potential that so many people have always seen in him. Going against the Rainmaker was never going to be easy, but Tama accounted for himself very well and had Okada on the ropes a few times. He countered the Rainmaker with the Gun Stun. He pulled out the Bloody Sunday, which led him to victory over Jay White. But Okada wasn’t going to get caught again, not on this night. Not with the G1 Final so close. Okada avoided the DSD that put him away last year and went into the Boss Sequence that he used to put Naito away at Dontaku. The Cobra Flowsion and the Rainmaker scored the win, sending Okada to his second straight G1 Final. Tama Tonga hung well with Okada here, and if he continues to find himself in this new babyface role, I wouldn’t mind seeing him in more big spots as time goes on. ****

NJPW G1 CLIMAX 32 SEMI FINAL MATCH
WILL OSPREAY DEF. TETSUYA NAITO

This result was an absolute stunner, at least to me. It’s not that this was a big upset. Ospreay and Naito are on similar levels of the pecking order in New Japan. I wouldn’t argue too hard if you thought that Naito was slightly ahead. It’s that the story was all there for Naito to stand tall at the end of the G1 with the confetti raining down. He came from behind in his block and had his generational rival waiting for him in the final. Every pattern that we’ve seen from Gedo as a booker led me to believe that this was Tetsuya Naito’s tournament to win. Alas, we’re in a new era of New Japan, and new eras bring new patterns. It didn’t look like Will Ospreay was even going to make it to the semifinals. Hell, as he brought up in his post-match promo, he almost died from a severe kidney infection just a few months ago. Yet here he was, having another Match of the Year contender on the biggest stage, and now 24 hours away from another one with the man that brought him onto the stage to begin with.

The match was exactly the high-level pro wrestling you would expect from these two pro wrestlers. There were some slight reminders that this was a first-time-ever singles match, where the chemistry wasn’t as pinpoint as it could be. A spot or two where they were just a fraction of a second out of sync. But the overall product that Ospreay and Naito put out here was just phenomenal. After Juice Robinson softened up Ospreay’s neck last night, Naito made sure to target it early and often. Ospreay got some shots in, but Naito was in firm control throughout. Then, Ospreay could drill Naito with a Hidden Blade before Naito countered a Stormbreaker with a Destino-style counter. Then these two went into overdrive. The counter wrestling that was on display here was absolutely insane. Then we got to the finishing stretch where it looked like Naito had it won with the Destino, but Ospreay kicked out. Ospreay countered another Destino attempt with a successful Hidden Blade to the face. A Stormbreaker followed and put Ospreay in his first G1 Final. As Ospreay’s G1 window opens, this may be the end of Naito’s run as the 1B to Okada’s 1A. Maybe one day he’ll get another run with the big belt. Maybe one day he’ll get that roll call at the Dome. But on this day, Will Ospreay has surpassed him on the depth chart. And tomorrow night, we’ll see if Ospreay can finally surpass the man whose shadow he’s been trying to outrun for the last two years. It’s Will Ospreay vs. Kazuchika Okada in the G1 Final. Get into it! ****3/4

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