New Japan Pro Wrestling 6/22/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 4

New Japan Pro Wrestling 6/22/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 4

Daiki Nagai vs. Masatora Yasuda

Yasuda is the taller of the two. They trade shots and Nagai headlock takeovers him. Yasuda wristlocks him. Nagai reverses it on him then Yasuda trips him. Yasuda ties up the legs and hammerlocks him. They escape wristlocks. Yasuda trips him.

Nagai side headlock takeovers him and side headlocks him. Yasuda works the leg and legbars him. Yasuda stomps his leg and does another legbar. They trade forearms and Nagai dropkicks him. Nagai hits another dropkick then crabs him. The time limit then expires.

Thoughts: Young lions matches aren't super exciting and I wasn't real interested in this 10 minute bout. It's not that they were botching stuff, but you can only watch so many kicks to the knee and legbars. Nagai makes some real animated faces.

Katsuya Murashima & Shoma Kato vs. United Empire (Francesco Akira & Great-O-Khan)

KM and Kato shove each other. Khan trips Kato and goes for the pin. Khan takes him down then Kato forearms him. Khan hits mongolian chops and Kato flying dropkicks him for 2. Kato hits mounted forearms and kimura's him.. Khan does a dragon screw and a legbar on him.

Akira corner lariats Kato then baseball slides him. Kato dropkicks him. KM hits forearms on Akira then flying forearms him. Akira takes a hiptoss. KM hits forearms then Akira is double dropkicked. Khan takes a double dropkick then KM crabs Akira.

Akira dropkicks and flying knees KM. Akira meteoras KM in the back of the neck and wins.

Thoughts: The young lions got a little in here and Kato had a nice showing. Khan seems like he might be taking a little more serious path which would be nice. This was just short but the young lions got more in than you would think.

Satoshi Kojima, Tomoaki Honma & Tomohiro Ishii vs. United Empire (HENARE, Jeff Cobb & TJP)

TJP and Kojima rade forearms. They shoulder battle and TJP dropkicks him. Kojima shoulders him over then stomps him. Ishii takes a flying shoulder from Cobb when they get in. Cobb short arm shoulders him then standing moonsaults him for 2. TJP slingshot swantons Ishii for 2 then hits euros. Ishii flying shoulders TJP over.

Ishii suplexes Cobb. Kojima comes in and machine gun chops TJP. TJP dropkicks him and does facewash kicks. Kojima hits forearms and a ddt on TJP. TJP final cuts Koji. Henare and Honma get in. They trade forearms. Henare hits chest kicks then Honma shoulders him. Honma misses a falling headbutt drop.

Cobb spinebusters Honma then Henare PK's him for 2. Honma flying headbutts him then falling headbutts him. Henare spinning high kicks him then fisherman busters him for the win.

Thoughts: It wasn't anything special and was just a match. Everyone got a section in and once everyone got theirs, it was over.

Be-Bop Tag Team (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Toru Yano), El Desperado, Hirooki Goto & Oleg Boltin vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

Despy and Douki fight. They do some rolls and Despy armdrags him off the hiptoss. Douki springboard armdrags him then Despy does a backdrop to him. Yano takes off a turnbuckle pad then Sanada rolls him around the ring. Tana and Taichi get in.

Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies Taichi. They grab each other by the gut. Tana hits forearms then Taichi side kicks him. Taichi grabs Tana's gut again. Tana hits forearms on Yuya then hits a twist and shout.

Goto gets in and lariats Yuya. Goto lariats Taichi then spinning heel kicks Sanada and Yuya before double bulldogging them. Yuya armdrags Goto then gets chopped. Yuya then running chops him.

Yuya dropkicks Oleg then Oleg shoulders Taka over. Oleg karelin's lifts Taka. Oleg takes a running knee from Taka and just facelock. Douki flying headsicssors Despy out and topes him. Taka eye pokes Oleg then Oleg finlay rolls him to win.

Thoughts: This was a total joke. It got no time at all and Taka went down to a finlay roll.

Oleg and Taichi fight after.

G1 Climax 34 Block A Qualifier Tournament First Round Match - Yujiro Takahashi vs. Callum Newman

YT boots him to start and clubs on him. YT knees him in the gut then CN running facekicks him. CN hits a dropkick then misses a plancha. YT reverse ddt's him on the floor. CN is thrown into the rails. YT hits back elbows and a facekick on CN for 2. YT legdrops him.

YT hits knees to the gut then baseball slides him. CN trips him then double stomps his back. CN corner dropkicks YT then PK's him for 2. CN puts YT on the 2nd rope and dropkicks his back.

The trade forearms and CN takes a stun gun. YT facekicks him then fisherman busters him for 2. YT olympic slams CN. CN high kicks him. The ref is thrown into CN. YT grabs a weapon, CN grabs it then the ref takes it from CN. YT low blows and ddt's CN for 2.

CN tiger suplexes YT for 2. CN corner dropkicks YT then springboard double stomps his back. CN os cutters him and wins.

Thoughts: It was an average match as expected. YT cheated and CN was able to recover from it and beat him. The good news here is that a G1 spot will not be wasted on Yujiro, who has not impressed in prior tournaments.

G1 Climax 34 Block A Qualifier Tournament First Round Match - YOSHI-HASHI vs. Chase Owens

Chase backs him up and spits on him. Chase knocks him off the apron then Chase is thrown into the rails outside. Chase rusian legsweeps Yoshi into the rails. Yoshi is then thrown into the rails. Chase running knees Yoshi inside for 2.

Chase splits Yoshi's fingers then throws him into the buckles. Chase pump kicks him then Yoshi suplexes him. Yoshi hits chops in the corner then shoulders him over. Yoshi headhunters him for 2.
Yoshi forearms him. Chase lariats him then gutbusters him. Chase pumping knees him in the back of the head then pepsi twists him for 2. Yoshi codebreakers him and dropkicks him in the knee. Chase rolls him up with his feet on the ropes. Yoshi blocks a pumping knee then superkicks him. Yoshi dragon suplexes him.

Chase half-nelson suplexes him and pumping knees him. Yoshi hits superkicks then canadian destroyers him for 2. Yoshi running lariats him for 2. Yoshi then hits a made in japan and wins it.

Thoughts: It wasn't good. They did a canadian destroyer kickout here and there was just nothing special about it. It does mean Chase won't be in the G1 though and that's a win. 

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, Titan & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

Sho talks on the mic before the match and the heels jump the faces.  Sho beats up on Titan. Titan kick combos him then pele kicks YK off the kip up. Titan walks the ropes and springboard dropkicks an opponent off of them.

Naito wristlocks Sho. Bushi gets kicked on the apron and send into the rails. Everyone fights outside. Evil fisherman suplexes Bushi inside. HoT rings the bell like Evil won and Togo gets on the mic to announce that he won when he didn't.

Bushi step up enzugiri's Ren. Yota is tagged and he armdrags YK then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers the heels. Ren chinlocks Yota then pulls off the turnbuckle pad, sending Yota into the exposed corner. Yota flatliners Evil.

Naito armdrags Evil then running back elbows him. Naito baseball slides him. Evil sharpshooters Naito. Naito ttakes corner attacks then Togo 2nd rope chops him in the nuts. YK figure fours Naito.

Titan ducks a lariat from Sho. Titan is thrown into the ropes and he tope con hilos outside. YK takes a triple team and Naito is assisted on a tornado ddt on YK. Naito destino's YK and wins it.

Thoughts: It was a basic and average tag. There was nothing special or that interesting here and it was a very weak main event. It also only went 12 minutes which isn't enough for how many people were involved.

Overall thoughts: It looked like a weak show on paper and it was. Nothing got a ton of time and nobody really put that much effort into their matches. It was a house show style card and is not worth checking out.