NJPW G1 Climax 29 night two results: Goto vs. White, Ishii vs. Cobb

G1 Climax 29 continued today in Tokyo, with the B Block taking center stage. 

The show was well-paced — and it featured a couple of customary opening night upsets. Raise your hand if you had Toru Yano defeating Tetsuya Naito in your picks. 

Here are the full results and match recaps from Ota City General Gymnasium:

EVIL, SANADA & BUSHI DEFEATED KOTA IBUSHI, WILL OSPREAY & YUYA UEMURA

Ibushi and EVIL kicked things off. Ibushi posted a photo of his swollen ankle on social media the other day. You would never know he was hurt otherwise. He hit a series of kicks, then broke out a standing moonsault. He hit the ropes, then started to sell the ankle, and LIJ went to work on him. 

BUSHI and EVIL worked over Ibushi in their corner. EVIL tried for Darkness Falls, but Ibushi slid out, hit a mid kick, then tagged Ospreay. 

Ospreay hit Pip Pip Cheerio on SANADA. They did a series of teases of their signature spots. SANADA hit his leapfrog dropkick, but Ospreay countered with a double handspring kick to BUSHI and SANADA. 

Uemura got a tag. He connected with a back elbow to BUSHI, then applied a crab. BUSHI reached the ropes for a break. Uemura tried for a double underhook suplex, but BUSHI avoided it. 

LIJ tripled up on Uemura. BUSHI hit a backstabber for a near fall. Uemura used a backslide for a near fall. He hit the ropes, but ran right into a codebreaker. BUSHI pinned Uemura. 

EVIL went after Ibushi after the bell, posting his bad ankle.

This was effective in setting up both Ibushi vs. EVIL and Ospreay vs. SANADA. 

BAD LUCK FALE & CHASE OWENS DEFEATED LANCE ARCHER & YOSHINOBU KANEMARU 

The smaller men were just here to be thrown around by Archer and Fale, which was a nice touch. Fale and Archer faced off at the outset and fought to a stalemate. They hit stereo chokeslams. Archer hit a Pounce on Owens. Kanemaru spit whiskey mist in Fale’s eyes. 

The match broke down, with Fale and Archer brawling around ringside. Kanemaru and Owens were left in the ring. Kanemaru hit a DDT for a near fall. He tried for Deep Impact, but Owens avoided it. Owens followed with a package piledriver for the pin. 

After this, I am actually intrigued by the upcoming Archer vs. Fale match. 

KENTA, CLARK CONNORS & KARL FREDERICKS DEFEATED HIROSHI TANAHASHI, SHOTA UMINO & REN NARITA

Connors and Fredericks are students at the NJPW LA Dojo. Both looked very good here. 

Tanahashi and KENTA face off tomorrow, and they had a pull-apart before the opening bell.

Connors and Narita started off with some mat work. Umino and Fredericks were in next, trading headlocks and shoulder tackles. Umino hit a back elbow for a one count, while Fredericks used a scoop slam for one of his own. 

Fredericks and Connors used a double team to take control of the match. KENTA got a tag and continued working over Umino. Tanahashi got a hot tag. He hit a flying forearm, then used a somersault senton for a near fall. 

Tana went for a slingblade, but KENTA blocked it. Tana blocked a GTS attempt. The match broke down. Tana used a cloverleaf on KENTA, but Connors broke it up. KENTA slapped Tana, then Tana hit a dragon screw. 

After a double down, Fredericks and Narita tagged back in. Narita hit a vertical suplex for a near fall. He used a leg lace into a scorpion, but Connors saved. 

While KENTA and Tana brawled on the outside, Narita hit Connors with a belly-to-belly. Fredericks hit a dropkick, a spinebuster, then kipped up. He used a single-leg crab — and Narita tapped. 

ZACK SABRE JR. & MINORU SUZUKI DEFEATED YOSHI-HASHI & KAZUCHIKA OKADA

Sabre and Okada began with a short, intense sequence. Sabre tied up Okada on the mat, but Okada came back with a back elbow. YH and Suzuki tagged in — and things quickly devolved into a ringside brawl. 

Suzuki threw YH into the barricade, then hit him with pieces of the barricade. YH beat the count back inside, where Suzuki peppered him with kicks. Sabre and Suzuki worked over YH’s arm. YH came back with a clothesline to Suzuki, into a double down. 

Okada and Sabre got tags. Sabre tried for an octopus, while Okada tried for an air raid crash. After a struggle, Sabre finally got the octopus, but YH saved. Okada fought off another octopus attempt with a hip toss, then hit a dropkick. 

YH tagged in. He hit a clothesline, his running chop, then a vertical suplex on Sabre. Okada and YH double-teamed Sabre. YH hit a headhunter off the top for a near fall. YH used a lariat to make a cover, but Suzuki made the save. 

While Suzuki and Okada brawled to the floor, Sabre used an armbar on YH for the submission. 

Okada and Sabre are going to tear the house down tomorrow. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JUICE ROBINSON DEFEATED SHINGO TAKAGI (14:42)

They started off exchanging shoulder blocks and strikes. Juice went for a leapfrog, but Shingo cut him off. Juice rolled to the apron. Shingo pulled him to the outside, then hit a DDT on the floor. Back inside, Shingo used a chinlock. 

Juice fought out of the hold with strikes. They traded strikes and chops. Shingo hit a double sledge to the chest, then clotheslined Juice over the top to the floor. Shingo teased a dive, but Juice cut him off with a spear through the ropes. 

Juice hit a spinebuster, then climbed to the top rope. He hit a high cross for a near fall. Shingo fought out of a Juice Box, but missed with a follow-up lariat. Juice hit a full nelson bomb for a two count. 

Shingo countered the Left Hand of God with a lariat. They traded corner clotheslines. Juice went for a cannonball, but Shingo slipped out of the way. Shingo connected with a wheelbarrow German for a two count. 

Shingo went for noshigami. Juice reversed it into a Juice Box, and Shingo rolled to the corner. Juice hit a cannonball, then sat Shingo on the top rope. Juice hit a headbutt, then a superplex into a jackhammer for a near fall. 

Juice went for Pulp Friction, but Shingo escaped, then hit a sliding lariat. They hit simultaneous lariats twice. They traded strikes. Shingo hit a Saito suplex, but Juice no-sold it, then hit a lariat. 

Juice went for Juice Box, but Shingo countered with noshigami. Shingo then hit the Pumping Bomber for an awesome near fall. 

Juice used a roll-up for a near fall, then hit two Left Hand of Gods. He followed with Pulp Friction — and got the 1-2-3. This was an excellent match. 

B BLOCK MATCH: JON MOXLEY DEFEATED TAICHI (7:36)

Taichi jumped Moxley as he made his entrance through the crowd. Taichi used a chair, then hit an axe bomber on the floor. They entered the ring for the first time, where Taichi hit a buzzsaw kick for a near fall. 

Taichi took his pants off, then hit an enzuigiri. Moxley used a sunset flip for his first offensive move of the match. He followed with chops and strikes in the corner. Moxley sent Taichi outside with a low dropkick, then hit a suicide dive. 

Moxley pulled a table from under the ring. He deposited Taichi through the table with a uranage. Back inside, Moxley pulled a kneepad down, then hit a running knee for a near fall. 

Taichi sent Moxley into the referee, who took a bump to the floor. Miho Abe slid a chair to Taichi. Moxley grabbed the chair and threw it into Taichi. Taichi reversed a Death Rider attempt into a Gedo clutch for a near fall. 

Moxley popped up, hit Death Rider, and picked up the pin. A fun sprint. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TORU YANO DEFEATED TETSUYA NAITO (3:43)

Yano was frustrated with how long it took Naito to take his entrance gear off. Naito kept his T-shirt on, so Yano decided to wrestle in a shirt as well. 

Yano looked to lock up, but Naito kept backing off. Yano tried to untie a turnbuckle pad, but Naito cut him off. Naito pulled a corner pad off, but Yano cut him off. 

Naito pulled Yano’s shirt over his face, then used a schoolboy for a near fall. Naito tried to use the corner pad, but Red Shoes jumped in and took it away. 

They pulled each other’s hair. Yano pulled Red Shoes’s shirt over his face, then hit a low blow. Yano pulled Naito’s shirt over his face, then rolled him up for the upset. 

B BLOCK MATCH: TOMOHIRO ISHII DEFEATED JEFF COBB (18:33)

Cobb scored an early knockdown off a shoulder tackle. Ishii countered with an extended series of chops and elbows in the corner. Cobb’s chest turned red from all the chops. 

Cobb hit some chops, but Ishii countered with three headbutts. Cobb hit a crazy release belly-to-belly throw, then landed a spinning back suplex for a two count. 

They exchanged short forearm strikes, which the crowd loved. Cobb teased going down, but instead hit a short right hand, ending the exchange. Cobb sent Ishii into the buckle, but Ishii rebounded with a shoulder tackle. 

Ishii hit a vertical suplex. He covered, but only got a one count. Cobb deadlifted Ishii out of the lateral press. Cobb hit a vertical suplex, then hit a standing moonsault for a two count. 

Cobb demanded that Ishii stand up. Ishii tried to get up, but collapsed. Cobb hit a series of right hands. Ishii fired up and no-sold a series of strikes. Ishii stepped right into a series of elbows and no-sold all of them. 

Ishii hit a clothesline in the corner, then placed Cobb on the top rope. Ishii hit a superplex. Cobb stood right up, no-sold a lariat, then hit his own lariat. Cobb placed Ishii on the top rope and hit a superplex as well. Cobb covered and scored a near fall. 

They exchanged strikes until Cobb dropped Ishii with a headbutt to the chest. Cobb hit a traditional piledriver for another near fall. 

Cobb teased the Tour of the Islands while Ishii teased a brainbuster. Ishii hit a backdrop suplex. He went for a lariat in the corner, but Cobb caught him with a uranage. Ishii no-sold it and hit a suplex. Cobb no-sold that. Cobb hit a suplex — Ishii no-sold that. The sequence ended with Ishii dropping Cobb with a clothesline. 

Ishii went for a sliding lariat, but Cobb caught him. Ishii fought Cobb off, then hit a dragon suplex. Ishii hit a lariat, and Cobb took a flip bump. Ishii covered, but Cobb kicked out at one. Cobb hit a lariat. 

Cobb went for Tour of the Islands, but his back gave out. Ishii hit a sliding lariat for a near fall. Cobb countered out of a brainbuster. They traded headbutts. 

Ishii got neck control, then hit the vertical drop brainbuster. This was finally enough to put Cobb down — and Ishii covered for the victory. 

A great performance by both guys. I’m not the biggest Cobb supporter, but he more than held up his end of the bargain here. Ishii, meanwhile, remains one of the best wrestlers alive. 

B BLOCK MATCH: HIROOKI GOTO DEFEATED JAY WHITE (21:07)

White stalled early on. He gave Gedo a chair and told him to sit beyond the barricade, as he was confident that he could take Goto on his own. 

White finally engaged Goto with a side headlock. Goto sent White over the top rope with a clothesline. Goto took the fight outside and sent White into the barricade. As White got back in the ring, Gedo grabbed Goto’s leg, allowing White to recover. 

White dropped Goto on the apron with a gutbuster. They teased a countout, but Goto made it back in. White took Goto back to the floor, then slammed him into the barricade and ring frame. Back inside, Goto hit some slaps to the chest. White hit a neckbreaker for a near fall. 

White worked over Goto’s neck with elbows. Goto came back with a spinning clothesline. Goto hit a clothesline in the corner. White fought off an ushigoroshi, but Goto hit a mid kick, a spinning wheel kick, and a Saito suplex. 

Goto hit a clothesline in the corner off a misdirection spot. White came back with a DDT. White hit two rolling head-and-arm suplexes. He tried for a third, but Goto initially blocked it. After a struggle, White hit a suplex into the buckle.

White then used a Blade Buster for a near fall. 

They exchanged strikes. White got the better of it with uppercuts. They did a crazy misdirection sequence, ending with White hitting a Saito suplex. That ruled. 

White hit a clothesline, then blocked a headbutt. He slapped Goto, taunting him. White hit a uranage, which Goto sold as though he had been killed. White started jawing with Red Shoes, allowing Goto to pop up and hit a lariat. 

Goto hit an ushigoroshi. He fired up, but this time it was White’s turn to play possum. White rolled to the ropes, so Goto wasn’t able to go for a GTR. 

White jumped up. They traded strikes. Goto hit a big headbutt, then hit the inverted GTR. He covered, but only got a two count. 

Goto went for a second GTR, but White fought it off. Goto fought out of a sleeper suplex. He grabbed White by the hair, then hit a series of headbutts. Goto hit a final cut. Gedo jumped in the ring with brass knuckles, but quickly begged off. 

Goto hit Shouten Kai for a near fall at the twenty minute mark. Goto hit an ushigoroshi for another near fall. He hit a mid kick, then hit the GTR for the 1-2-3. 

The story they told here was that this is a new, more vicious Hirooki Goto who is willing to bend the rules if he has to. These guys have wrestled a lot over the last year and a half. This may have been the best of their matches together. 

Standings —

A Block

  • Kazuchika Okada: 2
  • Lance Archer: 2
  • Bad Luck Fale: 2
  • SANADA: 2
  • KENTA: 2
  • EVIL: 0
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi: 0
  • Will Ospreay: 0
  • Kota Ibushi: 0
  • Zack Sabre Jr.: 0

B Block

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