New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/27/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 9

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/27/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 9

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Chase Owens vs Shota Umino

Chase tries to dropkick him through the ropes as he enters but Shota stops it. Chase ends up chopping the turnbuckle pole. Shota hits an armdrag and a basement dropkick. They go back out and Shota takes a death valley driver on the floor. Chase hits punches to the head and chokes him over the 2nd rope.

Chase chinlocks him then Shota drops him on his chest and running euros him. Chase hits an elbow slice for 2 then running knees him. Shota dropkicks him then does his elevated side slam for 2. Shota pop up euros him then is german suplexed. Chase slaps him around and they trade forearms.

Chase superkicks him and hits a pepsi twist for 2. Chase pumping knees him against the ropes and rolls him up for 2. Shota slightly reverses it for 2 then Shota hits a death rider for the win.

It was your average and basic wrestling match. Chase is still getting in a ton in for reasons I don't understand. Shota's nose got bloodied here.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Taichi vs YOSHI-HASHI

Taichi facekicks him and takes forearms back. Yoshi running double chops him. Taichi facekicks him then hits a side kick. Taichi running knees him. Taichi hits Kawada kicks and spin kicks him in the gut. Yoshi running headhunters him then dropkicks him as he hangs over the top rope. Yoshi misses a corner charge and takes an enzugiri to the face.

Taichi takes off his pants then Yoshi dragon suplexes him. Taichi high kicks him and hits a saito suplex. Taichi lariats him then Yoshi hits a canadian destroyer and a lariat for 2. Yoshi brainbusters him for 2. Taichi rolls him up and hits an enzugiri. Yoshi backcrackers him then Taichi hits a schwein. Taichi hits another schwein and wins it.

I wasn't a fan of this. They did too much here with people kicking out of brainbusters and canadian destroyers and it took too long to get going.

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Gabe Kidd vs Kaito Kiyomiya

Kaito got jumped before he entered and they had a 5 minute match before the bell even rang. This was completely stupid and just defies any logic. Why wait to get in the ring if you can do anything you want to your opponent before it starts? Just get a baseball bat, hit him from behind with it and drag him to the ring, and you win. We know the refs of NJPW aren't going to do anything about it, yet alone anyone else.

They had a long one here. Gabe had the edge early, Kaito got some offense in and then Gabe of course pushed the ref and low blowed him. They spit on each other. They went outside to fight and after several minutes of fighting, they finally got counted out. The count was going on and they just kept trading slaps and punches. They had to be broken up after as they just kept fighting. Gabe got on the mic told him to f off along with the fans and Noah.

It's just a shame how they booked this because the match would have been fine without the horrible ref and booking work. These two showed nice aggression and did try here.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Tonga Loa vs Great O'Khan

They shoulder battle to start and Khan kneebars him. Khan chairs a chair on Loa and of course the ref is distracted and is deaf so he can't hear it. Khan then sits on a chair on his leg. Loa sunset flips him and gets his knee worked on. Loa hiptosses him then Khan hits mongolian chops.

Loa germans him then Khan sheep killer suplexes him. Loa exploders him and Khan no sells it. Khan shoulder throws him then Loa spears him. Loa combos and enzugiri's him. Loa then fire thunder drivers him and wins it.

It was really short and Khan went down pretty easy here. If it was Chase taking the L so fast, I wouldn't really care, but it's Khan and it's Loa doing it.

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Yota Tsuji vs Hikuleo

Yota hits forearms then is pushed over. Hiku back elbows him then has his throat pulled over the top. Yota lariats him over the top. Yota topes him and is caught then Hiku goes into the post. Yota hurricanrana's him off the apron. Yota hits knees to the body and presses him int othe mat while he's bent over.

Hiku hits snake eyes then lariats him. Yota suplexes him and hits a big lariat. Hiku powerslams him and ducks over then takes a pumping knee. I think it was a botch. Yota stomps him and hits a pumping knee. Yoa rolls him up for 2 and headbutts him. Yota hits a falcon arrow. Yota curb stomps him.

Yoa goes for a spear but takes a boot. Hiku hits a powerslam and a chokeslam. Hiku then picks up the win.

The last few minutes of this were good and this was one of the better matches Hiku was involved in during this tournament. Yota's curb stomps and some of his other striking offense isn't really flowing or getting the desired reaction and that hurt this.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - KENTA vs El Phantasmo

Kenta stalls outside before this officially starts then ELP dives on him. ELP stomps on him and chops him. ELP moonsaults off a rail onto him. Kenta is thrown into the rails then ELP beats him up in the bleachers. ELP is back body dropped onto the bleachers then ddt'd on the bleachers. Kenta punches him up there and ELP is bleeding. Kenta pushes a ref over and ddt's him on the floor.

Kenta brings out a kendo stick and hits ELP with it then pushes the ref again. Kenta continues to hit him with the stick in front of the ref. ELP then hits him with the stick. They slap each other and ELP superkicks him. Kenta low blows him and ddt's him on a table.

The match officially starts and Kenta hits a dropkick in the corner. ELP reverses a go to sleep for a pin and wins it.

This was terrible. They broke every rule imaginable in front of the ref and the ref could have cared less. Then the match actually started, 10 minutes later and was over in seconds.

G1 Climax 33 Block A - Ren Narita vs SANADA

Ren side headlocks and facekicks him early. He then whips him into the rails outside. Ren is sent into the rails but bounces off and facekicks him. Ren double underhook suplexes him and indian deathlocks his legs. Ren hits stomps on his leg in the corner and double foot chokes him there. Sanada backdrops him then dropkicks him. Sanada plancha's him.

Back in the ring, Ren spinning thigh kicks him and underhook suplexes him for 2. Ren kneebars him then Sanada slingshot suplexes him. Sanada springboard dropkicks him then hits a tko. Sanada gets his hurricanrana caught then Ren rolls him into a sharpshooter variation. Ren drops him with a forearm then hits a nice enzugiri. Sanada shining wizards him and Ren puts him in the cobra twist.

Ren germans him for 2 then hits a northern lights suplex. Ren TKO's him and gets his knees up on Sanada's moonsault. Ren rolls him up out of the cobra twist then Sanada back rolls him into a dragon sleeper. Sanada enzugiri's him then does a nasty twisting ddt for the win.

It was an okay back and forth match. Not a classic but it came across 10x better after all of the garbage on the show. Ren showed some real competency here and looked good.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Kazuchika Okada vs Will Osperay

Will running facekicks him then plancha's him. Okada flapjacks him in the ring then they go back out so Okada can ddt him on the floor. Okada ddt's him on the floor again then back elbows him. Will handsprings into the ropes and corkscrew enzugiri's him. Will springboard forearms him.

Okada euros him then Will falcon arrows him for 2. Will hits Kawada kicks. Okada over the back neckbreakers him on the knee. They trade forearms and Okada shotgun dropkicks him. Will hits a spinning forearm then hook kicks him. Okada lariats him off the backslide. Okada dropkicks him in mid-air then takes a pop-up powerbomb. 

They go up top then Will ends up hitting a bridging cutter on the apron. Will springboard dropkicks him while he's down as they get in then will hits an os cutter for 2. Will misses a top rope corkscrew moonsault then is put in a money clip. Will ends up grabbing the ref to help him escape.

Okada seats him on the top rope and dropkicks him to the floor. Back in and Will hits an immediate standing spanish fly for 2. Will hidden blades him off a landslide attempt then Okada hits a nice dropkick and landslide.

Will back elbows him then hits a stormbreaker for the win.

They didn't have the time here and the second half of this was pretty rushed with them hurrying through spots.

Overall thoughts: Kenta vs Phantasmo is easily a Worst Match of the Year Contender for me. It was just a total joke with a million rules being broken and the match starting before the bell. Kaito/Kidd was along the same lines. The main was disappointing but Ren/Sanada was decent.