NJPW G1 Climax 34 night eight live results: Takeshita vs. Finlay

By Chick Fritts
Published: 31 Jul 2024, 02:00

NJPW G1 Climax 34 B Block action continues today in Yamaguchi with five tournament matches.

In the main event, 3-1 Konosuke Takeshita faces 2-2 David Finlay. Takeshita is tied atop B Block with Yuya Uemura for the lead at 6 points, while Finlay is one of six competitors in the Block stuck at 4 points.

2-2 Hirooki Goto takes on 2-2 Ren Narita in the semi-main event spot on today’s card.

2-2 Jeff Cobb faces 1-3 E Phantasmo in another B Block bout on the show.

Uemura brings his 3-1 record into a matchup with 2-2 HENARE on today’s card.

2-2 Oleg Boltin/Boltin Oleg takes on 1-3 Yota Tsuji in the other tournament bout on the show.

Today’s undercard:

Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. & Kosei Fujita
Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs. SANADA & TAKA Michinoku
Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman vs. Dick Togo & EVIL
Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee vs. Shoma Kato & Katsuya Murashima

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BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Gabe Kidd & Jake Lee) defeated Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato
United Empire (Callum Newman & Great-O-Khan) defeated House Of Torture (Dick Togo & EVIL)
Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma defeated Just 5 Guys (SANADA & TAKA Michinoku)
Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) defeated TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Yota Tsuji defeated Oleg Boltin

This match was a rock-solid outing from both guys. Nothing bombastic, but very sound, from start to finish.

Oleg opened the match by rushing Tsuji, only for Tsuji to reverse the momentum in his favor moments after the opening bell. Tsuji then took his time, slowly working over Oleg to establish a strong lead.

A sudden slam from Oleg opened the door for a rally. He then threw Tsuji across the ring before attempting a suplex. While trying to lift Tsuji, Oleg was stuffed, resulting in another turn in momentum. Tsuji was quick to follow up with the Boston crab and a curb stomp for a nearfall.

Tsuji attempted his curb stomp from the top rope but missed, leaving Oleg free to land a shotgun dropkick in response. When Tsuji tried to answer with a superkick, Oleg landed a lariat and Kamikaze for a false finish.

As Oleg attempted his finish again, Tsuji wiggled free. Once on his feet, he had enough separation to land an amazing Gene Blaster spear. Tsuji then pinned Oleg to win the match.

Tsuji hangs on to hope, advancing to 4 points.

HENARE defeated Yuya Uemura

This was definitely an ambitious match that I don’t think came together in the end.

After a basic feeling-out process, Uemura established a lead with an arm drag and some basic strikes. HENARE fired back with strikes of his own, which left him in the driver’s seat. After a while in control, HENARE dropped Uemura with a berzerker bomb, scoring a nearfall and submitting his lead.

A quick arm drag and a dropkick from Uemura turned the match around. When Uemura tried to follow up with a crossbody, HENARE caught him with a drop, resetting the match. A prolonged strike exchange in the middle of the ring followed, ending with a suplex from Uemura. Henare bounced back with a lariat, scoring another nearfall.

A quick dropkick from Uemura opened the door for multiple crossbodies from Uemura. When he attempted his third, HENARE blocked, but failed to follow up. Instead, Uemura landed another suplex, resulting in another nearfall.

HENARE drove Uemura into the corner, leading to a quick back and forth. HENARE ended the sequence with a Rampage, but Uemura kicked out of the pin attempt that followed. After holding on, Uemura hit a dragon suplex for a false finish of his own. Uemura tried following up with the deadbolt but was cut off by a leaping headbutt and Streets of Rage, leaving HENARE with the win.

HENARE ties block leaders with 6 points.

Jeff Cobb defeated El Phantasmo

Dare I say it, this was a good ELP match. It worked to his strengths without playing needlessly into the GoD depression storyline.

As soon as the match began, ELP tried to steal a win with a quick roll-up. Once that didn’t work, he kept up the pace with a tope. When he tried a second dive, Cobb cut him off. ELP managed to stay ahead by driving Cobb into the corner, which he followed with a moonsault to the floor.

Back in the ring, a suplex from Cobb reset the match in his favor. From here, Cobb dominated ELP, landing power move after power move with basically no pushback. A massive superplex scored Cobb a nearfall.

As Cobb looked to close, he lifted ELP into a powerbomb. ELP then reversed into a sudden pin, nearly eeking out a win. Cobb then tried for Tour of the Islands, and again, ELP reversed. After landing Sudden Death, a senton, and a moonsault, ELP managed to secure a lead of his own late in the match.

Just as it looked like ELP had a chance, Cobb cut him off with an F-5000. Cobb then punished ELP with ELP with strikes before taunting ELP for lacking friends. This fired ELP up, leading to a back-and-forth sequence. With a bit of momentum, ELP then attempted a springboard from the center rope, but Cobb caught him with Tour of the Islands and won the match.

Cobb joins the top of the pack with 6 points.

Ren Narita defeated Hirooki Goto

There were multiple points in this match where I was having a blast. In the end, I don’t know if I’d recommend seeking this out, but I’m close. For a House of Torture Narita match, it was rather great.

Narita tried rushing down Goto as soon as the bell rang, but Goto withstood the blitz. Narita fled to the outside to cool off anything resembling a Goto lead. On the floor, Narita caught Goto with a boot before driving him into the ring post, slamming him into the barricade, choking him with a rod, and striking him with a chair. Back in the ring, Narita continued advancing with basic heelish holds.

Goto eventually landed a lariat to reset the match. A wheel kick and a suplex left Goto with a lead, but Narita fired back with an illegal choke and a suplex of his own to stay on top. Narita then locked in a choke to secure a strong lead while slowing the match.

Goto hit a Ushigoroshi that left Narita on the backfoot, but Narita landed a guillotine knee to buy separation moments later. Narita rolled to the floor, where he grabbed the rod from earlier. This led to a back-and-forth with the referee. After a scuffle with Goto, the referee was bumped, leaving Narita free to grab his pushup bar. Goto challenged Narita with the rod from earlier, leading to a weapon-based showdown that he won.

Narita tried a low blow, but Goto blocked it. Goto followed up with a barrage of headbutts and a lariat, only for Narita to land the low blow anyway. Narita then landed the Double Cross and pinned Goto to win the match.

With this win, Narita joins the 6-point club.

David Finlay defeated Konosuke Takeshita

This match had its fantastic moments, but like the last, it feels hard to recommend (especially considering its extended runtime). When a match goes from a passionate arrangement to an overplayed Gedo sketch within seconds, I’ll never urge you to seek it out.

The match opened with a tie-up that Takeshita ended with a firm strike. Finlay tried to fire back, but Takeshita took control with a headlock, which he used to take Finlay to the mat before driving him in the corner.

Takeshita climbed to the second rope, but Finlay shoved him to the floor, where the match was flipped on its head. On the outside, Finlay drove Takeshita into the barricades and connected with forearms to establish control. Back in the ring, Finlay whipped Takeshita into the corner before picking him apart with a simple, deliberate offense.

Takeshita landed a leaping clothesline to buy a moment of separation after an extended period on the back foot. Takeshita managed to follow up with the brainbuster to establish a lead of his own, but after missing a knee, Takeshita fell back to the floor.

Back on the outside, Finlay started another assault similar to his opening attack. After driving Takeshita over the barricade, Finlay celebrated with Gabe Kidd. This hesitation gave Takeshita enough time to escape Finlay’s control. Takeshita then drove Finlay into the ring post. Takeshita followed up by piling chairs on the Global Champion and landing a dive that nearly scored a ring-out win.

Back in the ring, Takeshita landed a frog splash for a nearfall. He tried to follow up with a senton, but Finlay reversed with a brutal knee extension. The follow-up Irish Curse backbreaker from Finlay scored him a nearfall.

Finlay pulled Takeshita to the apron, where he tried for a piledriver. Takeshita avoided the driver but was thrown into the ring post instead. Finlay stayed on top of Takeshita with Dominator for another nearfall. Finlay landed a rolling forearm, but Takeshita landed his knee in response. Finlay bounced back immediately with Oblivion for a false finish.

Takeshita accidentally delivered a forearm to the back of the referee. Finlay followed up with a buckle bomb, but Takeshita answered with one of his own. Takeshita then pinned Finlay, but the referee was outside the ring, trying to recover (while being distracted by Gedo). Takeshita tried grabbing the referee, allowing Finlay to capitalize with a shillelagh shot.

When Finlay attempted Overkill, Takesthita reversed with a forearm. Takeshita’s follow-up was interrupted by Gedo, but Takeshita managed to hold on regardless. Finlay accidentally bumped Gedo off the apron, allowing Takesthita to hit the posion rana and a Blue Thunder Bomb. As Takesthita tried for Raging Fire, Finlay slipped free. This allowed him to land Overkill and win the match.

Finlay advances to 6 points. This makes him one of five men at the top of B Block.