New Japan Pro Wrestling 8/6/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 14

New Japan Pro Wrestling 8/6/2023 G1 Climax 33 Day 14

Here's what I saw:

SANADA and DOUKI vs Ryohei Oiwa and Kaito Kiyomiya

Kaito and Sanada trade wristlocks then Kaito cartwheels out to wristlock him. Kaito hiptosses and headlock takeovers him then dropkicks him out. Oiwa shoulders over Douki twice when they get in then Douki neckbreakers him. Douki baseball slides him in the back of the head.

Sanada elbows Oiwa in the back of the head then Douki does too. Douki corner lariats Oiwa then Oiwa suplexes him. Kaito running forearms Douki then 2nd rope twisting forearms him. Kaito dropkicks Douki off the buckles then Douki step up enzugiri's him. Kaito spinning forearms Sanada then dragon screws him.

Oiwa dropkicks Douki then running dropkicks Sanada. Oiwa slams Sanada and falling splashes him. Oiwa does a nice karelin's lift into a bridge for 2 then crabs him. Sanada euros Oiwa then bridging spinning neckbreakers him on the ropes. Douki armdrags Kaito off the hiptoss attempt then topes him into the raips. Sanada spinning dragon sleepers Oiwa but Oiwa rolls him up. Oiwa sunset flips him for 2 then Sanada does a grounded skull end. Sanada taps Oiwa out.

Kaito losing in the opening match isn't even a shocker at this point. I'm surprised they didn't have Douki beat him. This is just another burial for poor Kaito. It was a short 10 minute tag. Oiwa looked good and Douki had a nice tope, but there wasn't much else.

Eddie Kingston & Togi Makabe vs. BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens & David Finlay)

Eddie clean breaks and DF spits at him. Eddie flips him off and is taken down. DF paintbrushes him in the head and they trade chops. Eddie paintbrushes him in the head and DF goes out. Chase tells Eddie this is NJPW and the Yankees suck, and they say something about Chase being from Boston.

Togi gets in and shoulders Chase. DF stomps on Eddie outside and DF bites Togi's fingers. He then stomps the hand. DF forearms Togi then Chase closed fist punches Togi in the face. Chase lariats Togi then Eddie back elbows Chase. Eddie hits a corner lariat on him then does machine gun chops. Eddie exploders him.

Chase strike combos him then DF corner stomps him. DF uranage backbreakers him. Eddie hits machine gun chops on DF then belly to belly suplexes him. Togi gets in and shoulders his opponents. Togi hits corner punches on DF and DF euros him. Togi lariats DF then takes a running knee from Chase. Eddie fights off his opponents 1v2 but ends up taking a pumping knee from Chase. Togi double lariats his opponents and flips DF with one for 2.

Togi and DF trade forearms then DF flurries him. DF drops him with a forearm then lariats him in the back of the head for 2. 10 minutes has passed and DF hits the oblivion on Togi to win it.

It was okay but certainly not what it could have been.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - YOSHI-HASHI vs KENTA

Yoshi turns his back to pose and gets nailed. Yoshi shoulders him over and is sent into the rails outside. Kenta hits kicks to the back outside then chinlocks him inside. Kenta ddt's him then chinlocks him again. Kenta hits kicks and Yoshi hits some forearms and a dropkick to the knee. Yoshi hits chops and a headhunter. Yoshi then hangs him over the top rope and dropkicks him.

Kenta rolls him up and throws him into the ref, then ddt's him again. The ref is down and Kenta grabs a kendo stick to hit him with. Kenta hits him several times then grabs Yoshi's staff. Kenta swings it and hits himself with it when it bounces off the ropes. Yoshi corner lariats him then sitout powerbombs him for 2.

They trade forearms and Kenta slaps him several times. Kenta hits a busaiku knee then takes a superkick. Yoshi fisherman busters him for 2. Yoshi is pushed almost into the ref and Kenta low blows him. The ref sees it, does nothing about it and Yoshi lariats Kenta. Kenta rolls him and wins it.

It was garbage as expected with ref bumps, weapons shots and the ref even seeing Kenta cheat in full view yet not caring. These two felt like they would get the worst out of each other on paper, and they did. This was also very slow.

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

Taichi does a bad enzugiri early then hits Kawada kicks. Khan then picks him up and pushes him over the top rope. Khan rams his back into the rails then throws it into the apron. Khan ties his arm around the rail and works on it. They go back in with 5 minutes gone and Khan fireman's carry takeovers him. Khan runs into a high kick and is dropped.

Taichi hits kicks to the back and chest then takes off his pants and whips him with them. Taichi hammerlocks the arms with a choke then rolls him onto the mat with it. Taichi kimuras then armbars him then Khan hits a belly to belly suplex.

Khan rams his back into the buckles then shoulder throws him. Khan then does a head an arm choke. Khan rolls him and Taichi slaps on an interesting leg lock. Taichi then takes him down and does a double leg lock. Khan grabs his legs at the same time and they both let go at 15 minutes. They trade forearms for leg kicks then trade facekicks. Taichi hits an enzugiri then takes an STO into a head and arm choke. Khan taps him out with it.

It went 17 minutes and was nothing special at all. No real story to this or anything with a slow pace. 

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Kazuchika Okada vs Tanga Loa

Loa backslides him and rolls him up. Loa uppercuts him and he rolls out. Loa goes after him and Okada ddt's him on the floor. Loa is sent into and over the rail. Okada then bangs his head off the commentator's table and knocks over a monitor and eventually the table. Okada ddt's him in the ring for 2.

Okada footslaps him then Loa drives him into the buckles and they hit forearm flurries on each other. Loa hits a big spear then a lariat. Loa hits horrible strikes then hits more horrible strikes and corner lariats him. Loa germans him then forearms him out. Loa back body drops him on the floor then running lariats him. Loa slingshot swantons him then backdrops him for 2.

Okada money clips him then neckbreakers him over the knee. Okada shotgun dropkicks him on the floor as Loa tries to get him counted out. Loa enzugiri's him then does a swinging side slam for 2. Okada short arm clotheslines him twice then hits a big dropkick. Loa then hits a nice dropkick back. Okada landslides him then hits a rainmaker for the win.

This was just below average as expected. Okada wasn't going all out here nor could he with the time limit. Loa hit some horrible strikes and we all knew he had little chance here.

G1 Climax 33 Block B - Will Osperay vs El Phantasmo

ELP hits a nice running dropkick then a nice running hurricanrana to start. He goes up top and Will runs. Will facekicks him out of the ring and plancha's him. Will backbreakers him then drops him with a chop. ELP hits forearms at 5 minutes and Will facekicks him. ELP tornado ddt's him.

ELP hits atomic drops and a russian legsweep. ELP then 2nd rope elbow drops him wnd Will enzugiri's him. Will hits a handspring corkscrew kicks him then forearms him off the ropes in the back of the head, sending him out. Will is pushed off the top onto the ropes then ELP walks the top rope and moonsaults him. ELP springboard swantons him into a moonsault off the ropes for 2.

Will drops him with a forearm and hits Kawada kicks. ELP hits boots to the face and Will superkicks him. They go on the apron where Will is pushed into the post. Will superkicks him there and hits an os cutter on the apron with both men going down to the floor. Will springboards when they get back in and catches a superkick. ELP springboard splashes him for 2.

ELP hits a cutthroat burning hammer for 2 and ELP enzugiri's him. Will hits a standing spanish fly then superkicks him. ELP poisonrana's him and hits a superkick for 2. 15 minutes have now passed and ELP does a spinning tornado ddt from the ropes. Will pops him up into a forearm and superkicks him. Will does a blind springboard and is caught with a backslide. Will spinning forearms him then ELP hits a hurricanrana for 2. ELP hits Will's os cutter and hits his CRII. ELP comes off the top and takes a cutter then Will hits an os cutter for 2.  Will then hits a hidden blade for 2. Will then hits a tiger driver 91 and wins it.

It was what you would expect - a flippy match with lots of superkicks at a fast pace. If you're into that, I'm sure you will love it. But there wasn't a lot of selling or logic, just people flying around, hitting a cool move then moving onto the next cool move.

Overall thoughts: It wasn't a good night. The G1 matches weren't that good. Will/ELP was what you would expect with the two flipping around and doing an indy style match. Kenta/Yoshi was as bad as it sounded and Khan/Taichi went 17 minutes for some reason. And in your daily Kaito burial, his team lost in the opener.