New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/26/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 8

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/26/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 8

G1 Climax 33 Block C - Henare vs EVIL

Evil got the win here with everything is evil. This was complete garbage. The heels beat up Henare before this started then cheated right in front of the ref many many times and nothing happened. I watched about half this and couldn't do any more. Horrible stuff. Why don't they just have two refs? Why don't the people fighting Evil come out with friends too? Why do the refs never remember what happened the last time Evil wrestled? Why do the New Japan heads never fire Evil or punish him for pulling this stuff in kayfabe? It's just not believable in any way, shape or form.

G1 Climax 33 Block D - Alex Coughlin vs Hirooki Goto

Alex nails him from behind and throws him out. Goto is sent into the rails. Alex pushes a ref and uses a chair on Goto. Goto has his back rammed into the apron. Alex grounded cobra twists him. Goto hits a forearm flurry and Alex chest chops him. Goto spinning heel kicks him in the corner then backdrops him.

Alex hits a stiff chop then Goto slaps him. Alex then jackhammers him and wins it.

It was short and not that good. It had the usual bogus stuff with Alex being able to hit Goto with weapons before the match to no punishment. The pace was off and it's a real shame because these two could easily do a good one.

G1 Climax 33 Block C - Mikey Nicholls vs Shingo Takagi

The finish - what was this?

They shoulder battle and just kid of nod to each other. Shingo hits some punches then is shouldered over. Shingo misses a sliding D and they stand off. Mikey backdrops him and sends him into the rails. Shingo is backdropped on the apron. Mikey delay suplexes him.

Shingo hits back elbows and lariats him. Shingo sliding lariats him then Mikey ddt's him. Mikey top rope suplexes him and they trade forearms. Mikey is busted open and slaps then death valley drivers him. Mikey hits a lariat while he's down for 2. Shingo death valley drivers him then they lariat each other.

They lariat battle and trade shots then Shingo running hugs him and wins it.

Seriously, that was the finish. What in the world was that? That was one of the dumbest finishes I've ever seen and that blew any good will this otherwise okay match generated.

G1 Climax 33 Block D - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Toru Yano

Yano rolls him up to start then does it again. They trade forearms and Tana flying forearms him. Tana slams him and misses a 2nd rope flipping senton. Tana is sent into the rails. Yano grabs tape and Tana gives it to a fan. Yano takes off a turnbuckle pad an tries to hit him with it but Tana catches it. Yano dragon screws him with it and catapults him into the exposed buckle.

Tana dragon screws his arm and leg. Yano does a bad spear from behind and Tana knocks over the ref. Yano misses a chair shot then has a chair punched into his face. Tana top rope high fly flows him and wins it.

It was bad with Yano doing his usual cheating and them doing a sloppy job on multiple spots. It was also short which further limited it.

G1 Climax 33 Block C - Eddie Kington vs Tomohiro Ishii

They do a greco roman knuckle lock and Eddie gordbusters him. Eddie hits a double stomp and holds his back. They trade chops and Ishii shoulders him over. Ishii drops him with chops then backdrops him. Eddie knees his neck from the 2nd rope as he bends over. Eddie hits machine gun chops then exploders him for 2.

They trade more chops and trade them for a long while before Ishii is dropped. Ishii hits forearms and takes a half-nelson suplex. Eddie then hits a sliding d for 2. Ishii hits germans and Eddie flops down. Ishii ducks an enzugiri then Eddie ducks a sliding D before lariating him. Eddie backdrops him for 2 then puts him in a stretch plum. Ishii hits some headbutts then does a nasty, running battering ram headbutt.

Ishii enzugiri's him then Eddie enzugiri's him. Ishii running lariats him. Eddie no sells it then is lariated again for 2. Eddie hits bad spinning backhand slaps then Ishii sliding lariats him. Ishii then brainbusters him and wins it.

I didn't like the extended chopping sequence that much. It just kind of looks silly when it goes on too long. But I thought it was a decent match otherwise. Ishii's running battering ram was really nasty and we got your basic suplexes and lariats that you would want. We all knew what were getting here with this.

G1 Climax 33 Block D - Shane Haste vs Tetsuya Naito

Bomb valley death

Naito offers a hat trade with Shane. Naito then throws Shane's hat and throws him out. Shane leg lariats him then puts on his hat. Shane dropkicks him in the back then throws his hat. Naito drops his neck over his knee. Shane is thrown into the rail then Naito neckbreakers him over the rail. Naito neckbreakers him then Shane hits a nice dropkick. Shane picks him up for a backdrop and throws him backwards then does a twisting falcon arrow for 2.

Naito armdrags him then baseball slides him in the back. Naito hits back elbows then diamond dusts him. Shane euro uppercuts him then hits a stiff backdrop. Naito tornado ddt's him off the ropes and Shane hits a swinging backdrop for 2. Shane goes for something and it is reversed into a reverse ddt. Shane then lariats him over. Naito hits destino for 2. He goes for another and takes "bomb valley death" for the Shane Haste win.

I liked it. It wasn't the best at first but picked up by the end with some stiff moves. The destino into bomb valley death spot looked great.

G1 Climax 33 Block C - David Finlay vs Tama Tonga

 

Tama jumps him as he enters and they trade shots. They fight in the stands and DF has his head banged off the wall. Tama pounds on him as he lays on the bleachers. Tama is then pushed off the stage in the seats. DF chairs and eye rakes him. DF works his leg, banging it off the apron. DF clubs him then Tama hits a nice dropkick.

Tama corner lariats him and hits punches in the corner. Tama lariats him over and hits a powerslam. DF hits an irish curse for 2 then Tama rolling death valley drivers him. DF gets his knees up on his top rope splash then has his leg slammed into the bottom rope.

DF sharpshooters him then is back body dropped over the top. Tama plancha's him then top rope splashes him for 2. DF blue thunders him for 2. DF hits a sit out dominator for 2 then Tama cradles him. They trade forearms and DF spinning forearms him. DF spears him then Tama wins by surprise with a hurricanrana.

It was a decent match was I expected as Tama's a pretty good worker. The first half could have been a little better and the brief leg work went nowhere here.

DF powerbombs Tama after and hits him with the shilelagh.

G1 Climax 33 Block D - Jeff Cobb vs Zack Sabre Jr. 

Zack headlock hip throws him and kips out of his headlock. They escape each others wristlocks with both doing fancy escapes. Zack arm throws him and he cartwheels out. Zack shoulders him and gets nowhere with it. Zack tries to shoulder him and is jumping shouldered back. Zack hits euros outside then is dropped with a forearm. Zack is thrown into the rails.

Zack runs at him and is caught and belly to belly suplexed on the floor. Zack is whipped hard into the buckles. Cobb whips him hard into the buckles

Cobb stands on his back then Zack tornado ddt's him. Zack dropkicks him and twists his neck. Zack gets on his back, Cobb drops back but Zack holds on. Cobb deadlift suplexes him and they lariat each other. Zack runs at him with a lariat but Cobb lariats him down.  Cobb tries to pull him into a tour of the islands backdrop but drops him. He then hits it. Zack then counters another attempt at it with a crucifix.

Zack bow and arrows him on the mat. Cobb misses a standing moonsault then Zack bridge pins him for 2. Zack germans him then is deadlift german'd. Zack PK's him then Cobb does a great one-armed F-5. Cobb hits a tour of the islands slam and wins it.

It was a fun match with the two matching up well. Zack didn't do a lot of submissions here but they played up Cobb's size and strength well.

Overall thoughts: The first half of this show was absolutely awful with bad match after bad match. The second half was much better with good match after good match. A very strange card indeed.