New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/18/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 3

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/18/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 3

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Kaito Kiyomiya vs Chase Owens

Chase wants a handshake early. Kaito gives him one then is hit from behind. Kaito armdrags and dropkicks him. Kaito then slams and elbow drops him. Chase hits him in the face then does a palm strike. Chase pulls his fingers apart and steps on his face. Chase backdrops him for 2.

Kaito armdrags him then 2nd rope twisting forearms him. Kaito top rope dropkicks him then Cahse backdrops him for 2. Kaito backdrops him then Chase hits a slingshot death valley driver (which could have been a lot cooler if he had done it in a different way). Kaito hurricanrana's him off a double underhook then jumping knees him. Kaito does a full-nelson driver for 2 then hits a shining wizard for the win.

As expected, it wasn't anything special. Chase is rarely ever in any good matches and Kaito's offense didn't look good here. The crowd wasn't into it either.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Great O'Khan vs KENTA

 Kenta eye rakes him and is shouldered over. Khan pushes the ref then Kenta hits him with a title belt. They go into the seats where Kahn is thrown into chairs. Kenta chairs him then double stomps him off the apron. Khan hits a nice karelin's lift then throws Kenta into the rails and chairs. Khan sits on a chair on his throat. Khan then throws him into the wall with a chair wrapped around his throat. Khan chokes him with a towel.

Khan is almost pushed into the ref twice then takes a ddt from Kenta. Kenta busaiku knee kicks him. Khan pushes Kenta into the ref and punches him. Khan does a bad tombstone then Kenta hurricanrana's him and wins it out of a chokeslam attempt. Kenta wins with his feet on the ropes.

It wasn't that good with lots of cheating, ignoring the rules and a ref bump. I don't know what it is, but Kenta doesn't care or try anymore.

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Hikuleo vs Gabe Kidd

Gabe runs up from behind him and hits him with a belt. He bangs his head off the rails and throws a chair. Hiku hits a big chop and drops him with a forearm. Gabe eye rakes him and chairs him. Gabe is back body dropped onto a pile of chairs. The bell finally rings and Hiku splashes him.

Hiku hits snake eyes and then takes lariats. Hiku is spit on then drops him with a slap. Gabe takes a nasty release german and no sells it then is ran over with a lariat for 2. Gabe takes a nasty belly to belly on his head and gets a weidge. Gabe chop blocks him and facelocks him. Gabe pushes the ref and Jado over.

Gabe low blows and piledrivers Hiku to win it. What we got wasn't bad as both are heavy hitters but all of the lame interference and the ref bump brought things down as it always does.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Tonga Loa vs Taichi

They trade shots slowly to start then trade facekicks. Taichi is sent into the rails then swings Loa's foot into the post. Taichi does a calf crusher then sidekicks him for 2. Taichi hits Kawada kicks and they botch a swinging side slam. Tonga germans and blue thunders him for 2.

Taichi enzugiri's him then takes his pants off. Tonga blocks a buzzsaw kick then is leg swept at 10 minutes. They collide with lariats then Taichi backdrops him. Taichi highkicks him then takes an enzugiri. Tonga lariats him then Taichi rolls him up for 2. Tonga spears him then Taichi leg kicks him and rolls him up to win it.

They tried. It was just kind of average and the finish didn't work at all. The pin just felt out of nowhere and didn't really fit the flow of the match. Tonga also losing to a leg kick was pretty weak.

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Yota Tsuji vs Ren Narita 

 

Ren armlocks and hammerlocks him. They do a stand off and Yota hits a hard chest chop. Yota shoulders him over then gets down with him and does Shibata's pose. He boots him then slaps him a few times. Ren throws him out. Ren throws him out again and facekicks him off the apron.

Yota headscissors him out then Ren knees him in the gut. Ren stands on him in the corner and jumps up and drives him down. Ren sleepers him as he's on the apron and Yota goes down to the floor. Yota knocks him off the apron into the rails. Yota overshoots his tope on him and ends up hanging off the rail. Ren is thrown into the rails.

Yota slams and splashes him for 2. Ren hits chest chops then is hit with a hard one. Ren spinning heel kicks him and single underhook suplexes him. They trade forearms and Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Yota crabs him.

Yota splashes him then shoulders him over. Yota then powerslams him for 2. Ren germans him for 2 then Yota does a high falcon arrow. Yota curbstomps him then Ren does a jumping knee press. Ren northern lights suplexes him then Yota hits some strikes. He drops him with a headbutt then falls over too. The time limit expires not too long after and Ren goes over with him on a lariat over the top after.

They needed more time here and the lariat spot over the top after the match ended was weird. The matches with the New Three Musketeers are hard to read. They clearly don't want them going all out, but they also aren't that capable of having classics yet. And because these are 20 minute draws, you don't really get to see the full match to really judge.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Will Osperay vs YOSHI-HASHI

Will side headlocks him and they shoulder battle. Will spin kicks him in the gut and Yoshi hits a quick running blockbuster. Yoshi is back body dropped over the top then Will plancha's him. Yoshi has his head banged off the buckle. Will's chest is bloodied from a chop then Will drops Yoshi with a chop. Yoshi hiptosses him and ddt's him. Yoshi hits a big chop the neckbreakers him.

Yoshi top rope blockbusters him then Will hits his handsrping back corkscrew kick. Will springboard forearms him. They trade chops and Will hits Kawada kicks. Yoshi kicks him then takes a hard spinning forearm. Will springboard cutters him for 2. Will hook kicks him and takes a superkick. Will is flipped with a lariat then Yoshi suplexes him for 2. Yoshi hits a canadian destroyer for 2.

Will hits forearms then does a standing spanish fly for 2. Yoshi puts him up top and superkicks him, Will then is fine a second later and powerbombs him. Will then hits a cancun tornado off the top and wins it.

This was okay until the end where Will just stop deciding to sell stuff and took over. And as you know, I always hate canadian destroyers not ending the match. Will's mouth got bloody here.

G1 Climax 33 Block A - SANADA vs Shota Umino

 

Shota side headlocks him then hits back elbows and a basement dropkick. Sanada is sent into and over the rails. Shota hits shots on the floor and sends him into the post. Shota backdrops him on the apron then hits a forearm and euro combo in the corner.

Shota neckbreakers him then Sanada backdrops him. Sanada hits a nice dropkick and plancha's him. Shota running euros him then fisherman suplexes him for 2. Shota hurricanrana's him out then cannonballs him off the apron. Shota hits a top rope dropkick for 2. They trade bad chest slaps for bad euros.

Sanada puts him in skull end and is reversed into multiple cross roads. Sanada takes a high exploder. Shota then slingshot ddt's him. Sanada takes a side slam off a skull-end attempt. Shota tornado ddt's him and hits a weak mcgillicutter for 2. Shota package ddt's him then enzugiri's him. Shota pop-up euros him then dropkicks him. Shota rolls him up with a bridge then is popped up into a cutter. Sanada hits a shining wizard and ddt's him for the win.

It wasn't that great. The crowd didn't care and so many shots looked weak or basically missed. These are two guys without a lot of charisma and they didn't exactly get the best out of each other.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Kazuchika Okada vs El Phantasmo

ELP hits a bow and arrow then Okada hits a strike flurry on him, standing on his throat. They grab each other by the nipples than ELP headscissors him. ELP stops himself on a plancha attempt then is swept on the apron and ddt'd on the floor. Okada neckbreakers him when he's back in then ddt's him. Okada facekicks him then ELP switches directions and runs into him.

ELP slams him and 2nd rope elbow drops him. ELP is whipped into the rails but jumps over them then tornado ddt's him off the rails. ELP is flapjacked then shotgun dropkicked into the corner. ELP springboards and is caught with a dropkick in the air. Okada hits a nice dropkick then germans him.

ELP hits a reverse sitout F-U then superkicks him. ELP hits a CR2 for 2. ELP moonsaults him off the top to the floor. Okada gets his knees up on a springboard splash then ELP tombstones him. Okada hits an emerald flowsion then rainmakers him for the win.

The crowd was into it and it was a fun main. Easily the best match on the show without question.

Overall thoughts: Mostly a "meh" night at the G1. The crowd wasn't into most of this and the format of 6-7 10+ minute matches is hard to sit through. I can't really say anything really delivered either than the main.