New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/30/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 10
G1 Climax 33 Block C - David Finlay vs Henare
Henare shoulders him over then sentons him. DF brings his throat down over the top rope and hits a punch flurry while he's down. DF puts him into the rails and works over him. DF backbreakers him over the knee. Henare pop-up samoan drops him then flurries him in the corner.
Henare hits a berzerker bomb for 2 and DF blocks his PK. Henare spinning heel kicks him then PK's him for 2. DF ddt's him and hits crossface shots. DF lariats him in the back of the head for 2 and sends Henare over the top. Henare then has his head thrown into the post. DF blue thunders him for 2.
Henare knees him in the ring and is sent into the buckle. Henare headbutts him and knocks him down. Henare uranages him then takes oblivion. DF then picks up the win.
It wasn't anything that interesting as expected. I have no idea why NJPW would start the show off with this as we knew it wouldn't be that interesting. I also didn't like Henare's size and not really being respected here as he was treated like just another guy.
G1 Climax 33 Block D - Jeff Cobb vs Toru Yano
Yano has something hidden under his shirt. The ref lets the match start knowing this. Cobb then pulls out what's under the shirt and it's beer and snacks. Cobb gives the ref a beer and hits a spin cycle backdrop. He then drinks beer. He tries to standing moonsault him but Yano gets his knees up.
Yano low blows him and backslides him then Cobb dropkicks him. Yano tries to grab a chair, the ref stops him and he sprays Cobb in the eyes. Yano then rolls him up.
I swear New Japan is trying to run down the list of rules they can break. The ref has to pat down the wrestlers for weapons or it doesn't start. We all know that. Instead, the ref just let Yano go here with stuff in his outfit. Food was in the ring and the ref let it proceed then we got cheating to end it. It was garbage but at least it was short.
G1 Climax 33 Block C - Eddie Kingston vs Mikey Nicholls
Eddie misses a uraken and Mikey backdrops him. Mikey plancha's him and suplexes him inside. Mikey camel clutches him then Eddie ddt's him. Eddie bulldogs him off the 2nd rope then facewash kicks him. Eddie hits a twisting fisherman suplex for 2 then is ddt'd. Mikey spinebusters him then death valley drivers and sliding lariats him.
Eddie hits chops and an exploder. Eddie then backdrops him and hits a release half-nelson suplex. Eddie then sliding d's him for 2. Mikey enzugiri's him and takes a uraken for the Eddie Kingston win.
The crowd was silent here and it just was just average.
G1 Climax 33 Block D - Tetsuya Naito vs Alex Coughlin
Naito rolls out of a lariat and does his pose. Naito hurricanrana's him then takes a fallaway slam. Naito is rolled into the rails and sells for a long time. Alex deadlift gutwrenches him into the ring then does a submission with both arms and a neck crank.
Alex chops him then spits in his face. Naito neckbreakers him then hits an armdrag and a basement dropkick to the back of the head. Naito then spits in his face and basement dropkicks him in the corner. Alex backdrops him and blocks his tornado ddt. Alex then pop-up powerbombs him out of it for 2.
Naito step up enzugiri's him and takes a black hole slam. Alex lariats him for 2. Alex suplex lifts him and takes a reverse ddt off of it. Naito hits destino and wins it.
The crowd was not real into this like everything on the show. I'm not sure why, but they have Naito selling hard for basic things in each match which brings things down to a very slow pace. It's bringing down the matches. Alex tried some here but there's only so much you can do with that.
G1 Climax 33 Block C - EVIL vs Tomohiro Ishii
Ishii is jumped as soon as he enters. He whips him with a shirt then Evil is thrown into the rails outside. Evil hits a chop and forearm combo and Ishii's back goes into the rails. Evil puts a chair around Ishii's neck but misses the shot then is hit with the chair. Ishii then is put into the post with the chair around his neck.
Ishii gets his eyes raked and then suplexes him. Evil put's Ishii's leg into the ref then kicks him low. Ishii comes back with a backdrop. Ishii goes to german Evil and Evil grabs the ref. The ref is thrown into Ishii then Dick Togo sends Ishii into the ref.
Evil rips up Ishii's shirt then Ishii takes a magic killer. Evil goes into the exposed buckle and is backdropped. Evil eye rakes him then Ishii comes back with an enzugiri. Ishii does the war special where he full nelsons the arms. Togo gets on the apron to distract the ref then Evil ends up nailing Togo. Ishii lariats a chair into Evil's face.
Ishii running lariats him for 2. Ishii headbutts him then is lariated. Evil running lariats him then hits darkness falls for 2. Ishii hits everything is evil on him then does a sliding lariat for 2. Evil grabs the ref and Togo in and low blows Ishii. Evil then hits everything is evil and wins it.
The finish was horrible and the match was just a mockery of pro wrestling with all of the rule breaking. New Japan doesn't even try with Evil anymore. It's a total joke.
G1 Climax 33 Block D - Zack Sabre Jr. vs Shane Haste
Shane wants Kosei Fujita to put his orange hat on and he just gets in the neutral corner between his two partners. Shane grabs a headlock early then Zack armdrags him. Shane hits another armdrag and they end up doing a stand off. Zack wristlocks him and is armdragged and back kicked out of it. Shane asks for forgiveness, since it's his partner.
They facekick each other. They trade euros and Zack running euros him. They trade facekicks and Shane hits a nice dropkick. Shane throws him into the ring instead of into the rails and says, "nice guy", then points to himself. Shane ties up his arms and pulls on his hand.
Shane hits kicks to the body then to the leg. Zack goes for a leg lock but Shane block it and leg kicks him. Zack hits a nice dropkick then kicks him in the back. Zack then twists his neck with his legs. Zack underhook suplexes him then Shane orange crushes him.
Shane hits forearms on his knees then they slap each other for a while. They slap each other at the same time and running facekick each other. Zack then PK's him. Shane sitout powerbombs him for 2. Shane runs at him with a knee and is caught with a double reverse armbar. Shane hits a stiff lariat when Zack runs at him then backdrops him. Shane then lariats him for 2. Zack reverses his bomb valley death into a triangle. Zack then rolls him up with a bridge and pins him.
It was okay as a match with two friends fighting each other but I felt they could have expanded upon the concept a little more and got Fujita involved to further it.
G1 Climax 33 Block C - Tama Tonga vs Shingo Takagi
Shingo shoulders him over and they trade forearms. Tama shoulders him over then Shingo hits a punch and lariat combo. Shingo lariats him over the top then drops him on the apron face first. Shingo suplexes and elbow drops him. Shingo hits punches then Tama hits a nice dropkick. Tama lariats him then hits a corner splash and enzugiri. Tama gun stuns him over the top rope.
Tama slams him then suplexes him. Shingo hits a ddt then a slam and senton. Shingo sliding lariats him then hits a superplex. Tama jumps on him and is powerbombed down for 2. Shingo does a grounded cobra twist then lariats him. Tama scorpion deathlocks him. They trade forearms then Tama death valley drivers him. Tama top rope splashes him for 2.
Tama gets his gun stun blocked then Shingo hits a straight jacket reverse tombstone. Shingo sliding forearms him then takes a tonga twist. Tama hits a high angle double arm ddt then Shingo pop-up cutters him. Shingo running lariats him for 2.
Shingo headbutts and sliding lariat him then hits another lariat. Shingo death valley drivers him and the time runs out.
It went the full 20 minutes and it just wasn't that great. Maybe in front of another crowd it would have been, but they didn't do anything special and it was a disappointment for the talent involved here. This should have been one of the top matches of the tournament but was just average.
G1 Climax 33 Block D - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs Hirooki Goto
Tana runs the ropes, Goto follows then lariats him. Goto spinning heel kicks him in the corner then backdrops him for 2. Goto lariats him over the top and headbutts him up top. Tana dragon screws him as he sits on top. Goto lariats him in the back of the head then takes a slingblade. Tana straightjacket germans him and misses a top rope high fly flow.
Tana slaps him then takes a neckbreaker over the knee. Goto fireman's carries him into an elbow slice for 2. Goto goes for a suplex and Tana collapses on him. Tana sling blades him for 2 then top rope crossbodies him. Tana hits a top rope high fly flow and wins it.
I wasn't a big fan of this. Tana worked the leg early and it lead to nothing. They worked slower and it was far from their best work.
Overall thoughts: This was a very average day at the G1. The crowd either couldn't or didn't want to cheer and nobody really tried or went out of their way to do anything special. It could have been real good too which makes it worse.
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