NJPW G1 Climax 29 night seven results: Okada vs. Ospreay

Night seven of the G1 Climax tournament marks the second consecutive day the tournament runs in Korakuen Hall. On the docket tonight is more A Block action, including a huge champion vs. champion match, with IWGP champion Kazucika Okada taking on IWGP Jr. champion Will Ospreay.

Preliminary bouts:

– Jon Moxley and Shota Umino defeated Juice Robinson and Yota Tsuji

Umino submitted Tsuji with a Boston Crab 

– Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Minoru Suzuki defeated Hirooki Goto, Toru Yano and Yuya Uemura

Kanemaru pinned Uemura following the Deep Impact DDT.

– Jay White, Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens defeated Jeff Cobb, Toa Henare and Tomoaki Honma

Owens defeated Henare with the package piledriver.

– Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi and BUSHI defeated Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI and Ren Narita

BUSHI pinned Narita with the MX.

Block A matches:

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Bad Luck Fale by count out

This didn’t last long, which was probably for the best. I liked the finish of the match as Sabre used Fale’s lack of mobility to his advantage which was smart.

Sabre immediately charges at the bell and goes for a guillotine. Fale escapes as Sabre targets the arm. He manages to take him down and triangle him. They get up to their feet but Fale strikes first with a big clothesline.

Sabre escapes the Bad Luck Fall and clutches on to the shoulders but Jado comes in with the kendo stick and strikes Sabre in the back. Fale takes Sabre into the crowd Fale went for the Bad Luck Fall in the crowd but Sabre escaped. 

Owens, who was seconding Fale, tried to interfere but Sabre got rid of him. Sabre then latched on to Fale and slowly put him down on the floor as the referee started to count. Sabre made it in before 20, but Fale did not, thus giving Sabre the win.

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Lance Archer

This was great. Lance Archer is working so hard in this tournament and has done a fantastic job thus far, and this match was probably the best example of that. He was the perfect big man for Tanahashi, who was also tremendous.

Tanahashi zoned in on Archer’s leg right at the bell.  He took Archer to the outside and whipped him into the barricade. Archer tried to enter the ring again, but Tanahashi latched on to Archer’s leg. Archer responded by taking out Tanahashi with, get this, rolling senton to the floor. 

Archer dominated the match from here, looking for the Texas Cloverleaf. Tanahashi powered out of that. Archer retaliated with elbows to the corner, but Tanahashi took him out with a slingblade. Archer took out Tanahashi with the pounce and rope walked, but when he landed Tanahashi countered with the twist and shout and slingblade.

Tanahashi went for the high fly flow, but Archer grabbed him and hit a chokeslam. Archer hit a twisting splash and motions for the EBD (iron) claw. Tanahashi grabbed Archer’s wrist, but Archer overpowered him and took him to the corner, where the referee broke it up.

Archer went for blackout but Tanahashi held on, then rolled him up for the win. 

KENTA defeated EVIL

This was a good brawl. I think too many of these matches have had brawls into the crowd and is kind of becoming a crutch, but once they got into the ring it was a real good back and forth hard hitting match.

EVIL got the advantage early, taking KENTA out of the ring and into the exterior of Korakuen Hall. They ended up going into the crowd, clearing out an area where they countered one another until KENTA suplexed EVIL into the chairs.

KENTA took back EVIL into the ring but EVIL cut him off and hit a fisherman’s suplex. The two brawled from here, with EVIL taking out KENTA with a headbutt. He connected with the Darkness Falls, but only got a two count. 

EVIL went for the STO but KENTA countered with a backslide as both men exchanged near falls. KENTA dodged a lariat, rebounded and hit the running knee strike, then another but EVIL kicked out. KENTA went for the PK but EVIL countered. KENTA took EVIL down with a knee, connected with the PK then hit the GTS for the win.

Kota Ibushi defeated SANADA

This was great. Things started off pretty slow, but by the end this was an excellent athletic match between these two. Not blow away awesome, but an extremely good match.

They started things off slow, doing mat wrestling. SANADA took Ibushi to the outside, but after some showboating walked into a springboard forearm smash by Ibushi. SANADA took out Ibushi with a dropkick and landed a plancha off the ring and to the floor.

The two exchanged nearfalls, with SANADA targeting a knee. SANADA went for a dropkick but Ibushi in midair countered with a double foot stomp. The two go on a striking exchange, with Ibushi getting the better of things and landing a last ride powerbomb for a near fall.

 Ibushi grabbed the wrist for the kamigoye but SANADA dodged and somehow managed to strike Ibushi with his own finish. He went to the top rope but Ibushi dodged the moonsault and struck SANADA with the boma ye. Ibushi went to lawn dart SANADA in the corner but SANADA slipped from behind and went for the skull end. Ibushi countered and went for the cold skull, then SANADA countered and went for the lawn dart, but eventually SANADA connected with the lawn dart, sending SANADA into the turnbuckle.

SANADA floated over a German suplex and cut off Ibushi, whirling him around and going for the skull end, but Ibushi floated over. SANADA tried to counter, but Ibushi cut him off with a kick and motioned for the boma ye again. He connected, but SANADA kicked out again. Ibushi went for the kamigoye one more time, connecting then getting the win.

Kazuchika Okada defeated Will Ospreay

Yes, this was a stupendous match. I don’t think it is as good as Moxley/Ishii but I think all of this is based on preference, as there has been a ton of great matches in this tournament so far, all different in many ways. This was another excellent match that will get a ton of buzz.

Like the previous match, things started out slow. They both did a spot where they took each other out of the ring then held the ring ropes open to let their opponent back in. They soon exchange strikes, with Ospreay getting the better of things.

Ospreay loaded onto Okada with a fierce chop that sent him reeling to the floor. Okada took Ospreay who went for a springboard around the ropes and hit a neckbreaker on the knee. A shotgun dropkick followed.

Okada hit an elbow and did the rainmaker pose but a huge flurry of offense followed from Ospreay, but Okada cut him off and hit the tombstone. Ospreay countered the rainmaker with a rollup then hit the Robinson special. Okada dropkicked Ospreay as he was on the ropes going for the Oscutter, sending him to the floor.

Okada took Ospreay to the apron but Ospreay fought him, sending him to the floor. Okada grabbed him and motioned for the tombstone, but Ospreay shoved him into the barrier then hit the Oscutter off the railing.

The referee counted as Okada entered the ring, but Ospreay hit a giant springboard legdrop and followed with another oscutter for a two count. Ospreay springboarded off the top rope, but Okada countered with a German suplex. Okada dropkicked Ospreay and went for the rainmaker but Ospreay countered with a Spanish fly. 

Gaining momentum, Ospreay followed that with a shooting star press and a stormbreaker attempt but Okada reversed into the tombstone. Ospreay, however, countered back and hit a tombstone of his own. Ospreay went for the stormbreaker again, but Okada landed on his feet and hit the rainmaker, then another. 

Okada went for onw more rainmaker, but Ospreay reversed out of nowhere and went for the stormbreaker. Okada escaped, blocked Ospreay and hit a spinning rainmaker, then one more, and pinned Ospreay.

Okada closed out the show with a promo.

G1 CLIMAX 29 STANDINGS —

B BLOCK

  • Jon Moxley 6
  • Tomohiro Ishii 4
  • Juice Robinson 4
  • Shingo Takagi 4
  • Toru Yano 4
  • Taichi 2
  • Jeff Cobb 2
  • Tetsuya Naito 2
  • Hirooki Goto 2
  • Jay White 0

A BLOCK

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