NJPW G1 Climax 29 night 18 results: Tetsuya Naito vs. Jay White

B Block action wrapped up today in Tokyo at Budokan Hall — and the NJPW G1 Climax 29 final is set. 

Here are today’s results and match recaps, as well as the final block standings:

SHOTA UMINO & REN NARITA DEFEATED YOTA TSUJI & YUYA UEMURA

These guys had an intense brawl, not the kind of thing you typically see in these Young Lion openers. Lots of stomps, kicks, punches, and brawling on the outside from Umino and Tsuji, who also continued going at it after the closing bell. 

The finish saw Narita get a full crab on Uemura. Uemura fought the hold forever, but finally tapped out. This was excellent. 

BAD LUCK FALE, YUJIRO TAKAHASHI & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI

Yujiro pinned BUSHI after hitting Pimp Juice, as Bullet Club and LIJ continue to trade wins in the undercard tag matches on this tour. 

The match was okay, the highlight being a comedy spot where Owens tried to put SANADA in the Paradise Lock. 

KOTA IBUSHI, TOA HENARE & TOMOAKI HONMA DEFEATED KENTA, CLARK CONNORS & KARL FREDERICKS

Henare pinned Fredericks after a Toa Bottom. This was a pretty standard Honma tag match where he missed kokeshis, got worked over, hit a kokeshi, then tagged his partners for the comeback. 

Ibushi and KENTA had a nice sequence, ending with them hitting simultaneous high kicks. Fredericks continues to sit at the top of the L.A. Dojo class. 

KAZUCHIKA OKADA, HIROSHI TANAHASHI, WILL OSPREAY & YOSHI-HASHI DEFEATED MINORU SUZUKI, ZACK SABRE JR., LANCE ARCHER & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU

It would be virtually impossible to have this much talent in a ring and have a bad match. This was fantastic. 

Tanahashi pinned Sabre. Sabre hit a Northern Lights suplex, then used the bridge to transition to a double wristlock with a headscissors, then a cross armbreaker. Tanahashi used the armbreaker position to cradle Sabre for the win. 

They played up on commentary that Tanahashi could be in line for a shot at Sabre’s RPW British Heavyweight title after the win. August 31 in London seems like a good time and place for that one. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JEFF COBB DEFEATED TORU YANO (5:19)

This was not one of the more inspired Yano comedy matches of the tournament. 

Cobb asked the referee to check Yano’s tights after the opening bell. Yano had five rolls of tape in his tights. Yano asked the referee to check Cobb’s singlet. Cobb turned his back, and Yano rolled him up for a near fall. 

Yano then tucked Cobb’s arms down into his singlet, and rolled him up for another near fall. 

They traded throws. Cobb hit a standing moonsault for a near fall. Yano missed on a series of low blow attempts. Cobb hit Tour of the Islands, then pinned Yano. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TAICHI DEFEATED TOMOHIRO ISHII (11:56)

These guys have great chemistry. Ishii wrapped up his G1 with another incredible performance, and, sadly, another loss. 

Taichi hit an axe bomber immediately, then followed with a backdrop suplex for a quick near fall. 

Ishii tried to fire out of the corner with a shoulder tackle, but Taichi took it, then dropped Ishii with a kick. Taichi hit a series of short kicks. Ishii came back with a powerslam. 

Taichi hit an enzuigiri in the corner. Ishii blocked a buzzsaw kick, then hit a release German. Ishii hit his own series of kicks at the five minute mark, then hit a delayed superplex for a two count. 

Ishii hit a backdrop suplex, but Taichi no-sold it. Ishii it a clothesline, then used a sliding lariat for a near fall. 

Ishii went for a brainbuster, but Taichi blocked it. Taichi sent Ishii face-first into the buckle, then hit a head kick. Ishii missed on an enzuigiri, and Taichi followed up with a buzzsaw kick. 

Taichi hit an axe bomber for a near fall. He went for a Last Ride, but Ishii blocked it. Taichi hit a kamiguri, then hit a Last Ride for a two count. 

Taichi removed his trousers, then hit a head kick. They traded a series of hard strikes, and Ishii dropped Taichi. Ishii hit a lariat, and Taichi took a flip bump. Ishii got a near fall off the lariat. 

Ishii again went for the brainbuster, but Taichi blocked it, hit a series of kicks, then a backdrop suplex. Ishii no-sold an enzuigiri. Taichi hit another high kick, and Ishii kicked out at the last possible instant. 

Ishii hit an enzuigiri, but Taichi no-sold it, then hit a thrust kick. He followed with Black Mephisto and got the 1-2-3. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED JON MOXLEY (16:26)

This was nowhere near the level of their first match in June, but still a very good match. Juice had his left knee taped up, so they built the match around Moxley working over the left leg. 

They teased locking up. Moxley offered Juice a free strike, which led to an exchange of strikes. Juice’s knee gave out on a charge into the corner, and Moxley went to work on the leg. 

Moxley hit a stomp to the abdomen, then used a figure four. Juice hit a slap to the face, but Moxley didn’t break the hold. Juice reversed the figure four, and Moxley forced a rope break. 

Juice missed on a Juice Box attempt, and Moxley applied a cloverleaf. Juice forced a break, then bit Moxley’s earring out. 

He bit Moxley’s earring out. 

Juice went for a crossbody off the top, but Moxley was ready for it, and rolled to the floor. Moxley pulled a table from under the ring, but Juice hit a pescado, cutting him off. Juice gently placed the table back under the ring. Moxley recovered and sent Juice into the barricade. 

Moxley posted Juice’s legs. He teased a figure four around the post, but went for a chair instead. Juice avoided a chair shot to the legs, posted Moxley, then hit him with a cannonball off the apron. Juice again refused to use a weapon and dropped the chair behind the barricade. 

Back inside, Juice hit a high cross off the top for a near fall, but sold his leg on landing. They had a striking battle, while the crowd did dueling chants. Moxley hit a lariat, ending the sequence. 

Moxley used an ankle lock and grapevined the leg. Juice reached the ropes for a break. Moxley hit a series of strikes to the back, then applied an STF. Red Shoes dropped Juice’s arm twice. On the third drop, Juice grabbed Red Shoes’ pant leg. 

Moxley thought he won the match, and released the hold. Red Shoes told him that he hadn’t won and they argued. Moxley hit a Regal Knee, then an x-plex. 

Moxley threw all sorts of plunder into the ring. Chairs, a table, and a bucket flew in. Moxley bit Juice’s face, but Juice cut him off with a Left Hand of God.

Juice hit a series of jabs, a Left Hand of God, then connected with Pulp Friction for the pin. 

B BLOCK MATCH: SHINGO TAKAGI DEFEATED HIROOKI GOTO (15:10)

Goto needed a couple of rest holds in the first few minutes, but aside from that, he did well keeping up with Shingo’s frenetic pace. A very good match. If Will Ospreay didn’t exist, Shingo might have a case for wrestler of the year. 

Goto broke cleanly against the ropes on the opening tie-up. Shingo refused to do the same on the next tie-up, hitting a chop. Shingo scored a knockdown off a shoulder tackle, hit a series of elbows, then hit a senton. He made a cover, but Goto kicked out at one.

Shingo hit a knee strike, then a vertical suplex. Goto fired back with a discus lariat, and Shingo rolled to the floor to collect himself. Back inside, Goto hit a neckbreaker for a near fall, then hit a mid kick for a one count. 

Goto used a chinlock, then applied a headscissors on the mat. Shingo reached the ropes, forcing a break. Goto hit a couple of clotheslines in the corner, and Shingo sold them big. 

They exchanged strikes and chops in the center of the ring. Shingo connected with a snap backdrop suplex. Goto hit a backdrop. They traded strikes, and Shingo dropped Goto with a lariat for a two count. 

Goto hit a vertical suplex, then hit a Saito suplex for a two count. He teased an ushigoroshi, but Shingo blocked it. Shingo hit the ropes, but ran right into a sleeper hold. Shingo broke the hold once, but Goto went right back to it. 

Shingo hit a backdrop suplex to break the hold, a sliding lariat, then hit noshigami for a two count. He teased Made in Japan, but Goto blocked it. They traded misdirection spots and lariats. Goto hit a big lariat, then used an ushigoroshi for a two count. 

Goto hit some mid kicks for a near fall. Goto went for a GTR, but Shingo blocked. They hit simultaneous headbutts. Shingo hit Made in Japan for a near fall. 

Shingo connected with a Pumping Bomber, but Goto again kicked out at two. 

Shingo went for Last of the Dragon. Goto blocked it. Shingo hit a big right hand, then a series of elbows. Shingo teased another big right, but Goto cut him off with a headbutt. 

Goto hit an inverted GTR, but did not make a cover. Shingo cut him off with a lariat. Goto ducked one Pumping Bomber, but Shingo hit another on the rebound for a near fall. 

Shingo hit Last of the Dragon,got the pin, and finished his G1 with a win. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JAY WHITE DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO (18:51)

They had a good match, but not at the level of the best matches of the tournament. 

I don’t want to say that Naito can’t go any more, but this version of Naito can’t hang with the top in-ring guys in the industry right now. He’s just too beaten up. If I were booking, I’d be putting Shingo in Naito’s spot for whatever long-term plans I had. 

They didn’t touch for nearly the first full minute of the match. Both of these guys love to stall.  White rolled outside. White got back in. White rolled outside. Naito teased a dive, but hit his tranquilo pose instead. 

They finally faced off on the floor, where a Gedo distraction failed. Naito took control of the early offense. Back inside, Naito tried twice for his combinacion in the corner, but White cut him off both times. 

White pushed Naito off the ropes on a slingshot attempt, and Naito crashed to the apron. White then whipped Naito into the barricade. Back inside, White hit a DDT for a two count. White rolled Naito to the floor, then slammed him into the barricade and ring frame. 

Back in the ring, White used a chinlock. Naito came back with a one-legged dropkick. Naito hit a hurricanrana, then a low dropkick. He finally connected on a combinacion in the corner, then hit two neckbreakers for a near fall. 

Naito applied a crucifix hold, but White managed to reach the bottom rope. White ducked a lariat, hit a flatliner, then a suplex, as the momentum shifted back to Switchblade. 

White blocked a flying forearm and hit a uranage. Naito blocked a Kiwi Krusher, then hit a DDT. He teased Gloria, but White blocked it with a hair pull. White pulled Naito into the referee, who took a bump. 

Gedo jumped in with brass knuckles, but Naito cut him off. White tried for a low blow, but Naito blocked it, then hit Gloria for a near fall. 

Naito went for Destino, but White blocked it. Naito hit a tornado DDT, but White again blocked a Destino attempt. White hit two Saito suplexes, then hit a Kiwi Krusher for a two count. 

White teased Blade Runner, but Naito reversed into a sloppy poison rana. Naito dropped himself right on his head. Naito hit Destino, but White kicked out. 

Naito went for a second Destino, but White blocked it, then hit a sleeper suplex. 

They did an intricate series of finisher reversals, ending with White hitting another sleeper suplex. White hit a bloody Sunday DDT, then hit Blade Runner. 

White covered and got the win. 

White taunted Naito in his post-match promo. He taunted the fans, then called out Ibushi. 

Ibushi slowly walked to the ring, then slowly climbed inside. White promised that Gedo would not accompany him tomorrow. 

White offered a handshake. Ibushi shook his hand. White tried to kick Ibushi low, but Ibushi avoided the kick. 

As Ibushi went to exit the ring, Gedo grabbed his ankle. White used the distraction to hit a chop block. Gedo threw two chairs to White. White Pillman-ized Ibushi’s left ankle with three chair shots. 

White closed the show saying that tomorrow, Ibushi will breathe with the Switchblade. 

FINAL G1 STANDINGS —

A BLOCK

  • Kota Ibushi 14 (A Block winner)
  • Kazuchika Okada 14
  • Bad Luck Fale 8
  • EVIL 8
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi 8
  • KENTA 8
  • SANADA 8
  • Zack Sabre Jr. 8
  • Will Ospreay 8
  • Lance Archer 6

B BLOCK

  • Jay White 12 (B Block winner)
  • Tetsuya Naito 10
  • Hirooki Goto 10
  • Jon Moxley 10
  • Taichi 8
  • Shingo Takagi 8
  • Tomohiro Ishii 8
  • Juice Robinson 8
  • Jeff Cobb 8
  • Toru Yano 8