New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/31/2022 G1 Climax 32 Day 9

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/31/2022 G1 Climax 32 Day 9

I just covered the G1 matches here:

G1 Climax 2022 Block A Match - Lance Archer vs. Jeff Cobb

Lance pulled off a ringboy's facemask and slapped him. That was based.

Lance leapfrogs him and Cobb flips out of a hiptoss. Cobb jumping shoulders him and Lance hits a sloppy kip up into an armdrag. Lance hits a nice dropkick to send him out. Lance then cannonballs him off the apron. Lance pops him up into the ropes from the floor and then chokeslams him on the apron from the floor. Lance walks the top rope and is pulled down into a spinning backdrop.

Cobb jumping back elbows him then running suplexes him. Cobb stands on him, poses and sings his theme song. Lance tries to crossbody him, but is caught and turns it into a ddt. Lance then flying shoulders him for 2. Cobb dropkicks him then standing moonsaults him for 2. Lance then pounces him and black hole slams him for 2. Lance then chokeslams him for 2.

Cobb rolls him up and takes a boot to the face. Lance running back elbows him then runs up the buckles and knees him in the face. Cobb hits a couple of germans then a tour of the islands slam for the win.

Lance probably took too many bumps here as a giant, but they kept this one moving and they had a decent heavyweight match.

G1 Climax 2022 Block D Match - YOSHI-HASHI vs. Juice Robinson

Juice goes after him before the bell and pounds on him. Juice throws him into the rails and drops him throat first on the rails. Juice piledrives him and throws him out. Juice pulls up the mats outside and is hurricanrana'd into the post. Yoshi hits a whole bunch of chops in the corner. He hangs him over the top rope and dropkicks him then sliding dropkicks him.

Yoshi running blockbusters him then top rope blockbusters him for 2. Yoshi then fisherman busters him for 2. Juice pulls the tight on a pin and is caught. He pushes the ref, the ref pushes him back and Yoshi gets a 2 on a roll-up. Juice punches him thne Yoshi running knees him in the back. Juice spinning lariats him and Yoshi superkicks him. Juice hits a forearm then takes a dragon suplex. Yoshi running lariats him then half-nelson wrist-clutch drivers him to win it.

It was okay, but there wasn't any big meaning to it except for Juice heeling it up. Yoshi was a decent face here.

Juice throws a ringboy into the rails on his way out then throws down a rail.

G1 Climax 2022 Block B Match - Chase Owens vs. Jay White

Matches like these are the problem with these kinds of projects. I would skip this so fast if I wasn't doing the whole tournament.

They two sweet each other and Jay gives him an envelope with money. Chase goes to check it and Jay tells him not to, then gives it to a staff member outside. Chase grabs the money outside and starts counting. Chase then finds that most of the money is blank and throws it all over the place. Jay acts surprised and accuses the staff member of doing something to it. They argue and Jay gives him the fingerpoke of doom. Chase then tells him to pin him. Jay goes for a blade runner then is stopped, then Chase argues with Gedo and Jay pounds on Chase.

Gedo tries to make Jay chill out then Chase attacks him. Chase punches him on the floor and sends him into the rails. Chase gets his throat pulled down over the top. Chase goes for a pin then takes a hard lariat for 2. Jay ddt's him then twisting brainbusters him for 2. Chase then neckbreakers him and superkicks him. Chase shining wizards him for 2 and Jay back body drops him.

Jay flatliners him then backdrops him. Jay hits a uranage for 2. Jay hits chops then takes a jumping knee. Chase then hits a styles clash for 2. Chase pumping knees him and Jay bladerunners him for the win.

It was a comedic waste of time as expected with Jay winning as expected. If Chase is okay with losing matches, why even enter this tournament in reality? And why is Chase going to keep teaming with Jay going forward even though this guy just tried to stiff him on pay and showed he isn't a friend?

G1 Climax 2022 Block A Match - Bad Luck Fale vs Kazuchika Okada

Okada runs at him with forearms to start then hits some boots to the knee. Okada knocks him over with a shoulder and rolls him up. Fale hits a big back body drop and Okada rolls out. Fale stands on his back and bearhugs him. They trade strikes. Okada ddt's him and baseball slides him. Okada slams him and they go outside where Okada goes into the rails. Okada then ddt's him on the floor.

They go back in and Okada neckbreakers him over the back onto his knee in impressive fashion. Okada then top rope elbows him. Fale samoan drops him then spears him for 2. Fale elbow drops him for 2 then Okada dropkicks him. Fale lariats him and does a choke slam + thumb to the throat combo. Okada neckbreakers him and then taps him out with a money clip.

You know the deal here. Fale's immobile and hasn't been protected, so there was no reason to believe he would win this. He did not win this and it was a waste of everyone's time as Fale loses again and Okada beats an opponent in an unexciting match.

G1 Climax 2022 Block C Match - Tetsuya Naito vs EVIL

Naito tries to too sweet Evil, Evil goes after him and NAito armdrags him out. Evil is whipped into the rails. Naito does his tranquillo pose inside and Naito goes into the exposed buckle after Evil takes it off. Evil then throws Naito into the rails to knock the ring announcer over. Naito is thrown into the rails and goes over. Evil puts a chair around Naito's neck and hits it with another chair.

Naito atomic drops him into a dropkick on the knee. Naito armdrags him then sliding dropkicks him in the back. Naito then slingshot swinging dropkicks him. Evil goes for a chair shot and is pushed into the rails, then Naito chairs him in the gut. Naito then puts a chair around Evil's neck and chairs it. Naito goes to do corner punches on Evil and ends up hitting his face off the top buckle.

Naito is then driven into the rails and knocks over the announcer. Evil backbreakers him then hits a firemans carry sitout slam for 2. Naito flying kicks him then reverse ddt's him over the knee. Naito sits on the top rope and is lariated to the floor. Naito throws Evil into Togo outside then Evil does a nice flip when he is thrown into the rails. They go back in and Naito hits a destino. Naito is thrown into the ref and low blowed.

A table is set up outside and they do a sloppy spot where Evil is piledriven off the apron onto the table. Naito diamond dusts him inside. Naito is pushed into the exposed buckle then Evil flips him with a lariat. Naito kind of hits him with a koppo kick and flying forearms him. Naito tornado ddt's Evil off of Dick Togo on the apron. Naito messes up a northern lights bomb then hits destino for the win.

I wasn't a fan of this. Both guys should have been disqualified for weapons use and pushing the ref. Togo should have been kicked out as well. Evil has the same match almost every time he is out there and he did indeed do almost all the same stuff he always do. It went a little longer so he had to do a little more, but it's Evil and it's hard to get excited. And a piledriver off the apron through a table really should be the last move of a match.

Overall thoughts: I've been able to predict most of these matches in the G1 so far, and it's not shocking real easy to figure out what would be good and what wouldn't. This looked like a card with some good workers with some questionable opponents and it did end up being that. Archer/Cobb looked like it had a chance to be the best match of the night and it was and the main also looked like it had a chance, but they broke too many rules for me. I don't really recommend this one.