New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/23/2024 G1 Climax 34 Day 3

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/23/2024 G1 Climax 34 Day 3

Hirooki Goto, Shoma Kato & Tomoaki Honma vs. Katsuya Murashima, Oleg Boltin & Toru Yano

Oleg and Goto go at it. Oleg wristlocks him and Goto turns it into a hammerlock and side headlock. They shoulder each other over. Honma and Yano go at it. They hit each other in the back of the head. Honma running back elbows him and bulldogs him. Honma misses a headbutt drop then Yano stomps him.

KM hits forearms on Honma then flying forearms him. Honma back elbows him. KM and Kato trade forearms. Kato does a big chop and hiptosses him. Goto clubs on KM then KM dropkicks him.

Oleg comes in and splashes Goto for 2. Goto lariats him. Kato hits dropkicks on Oleg. Oleg pops him up into a bearhug then Oleg karelin's lifts him. Oleg puts a nice crab on Kato and taps him out.

Thoughts: It was a good opener here. The rookies did well and showed spirit before being put down.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI & Yota Tsuji) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo & Jado)

Yota and ELP lock up. They trade some basic holds. ELP headflips out of a wristlock and side headlocks him. They legsweep each other and ELP calls out for Hikuleo, who isn't with the company anymore (they are doing some storyline where ELP is lost without him).

Jado shoulders Bushi over then lariats him over. ELP intentionally falls over on the buckles then elbow drops Bushi off the buckles. Bushi flying headscissors ELP. Yota gets in and hits a facekick on ELP. Yota splashes ELP then shoulders him over. They trade forearms and Yota knocks him down with one.

ELP suplexes him. Yota takes a double team and is thrown into a Jado lariat. Bushi step up enzugiri's Jado. Yota knees Jado then curb stomps him to win.

Thoughts: It was filler and a waste of time with Jado losing as expected. I don't know about this ELP being depressed storyline and I don't think it's going to help him.

United Empire (Francesco Akira & HENARE) vs. BULLET CLUB War Dogs (David Finlay & Gedo)

DF gets Henare worked up before it starts and avoids getting in. Akira and Gedo go at it. Akira hammerlocks him, Gedo reverses it and gets reversed. Akira side headlocks him. Akira trips him and front facelocks him.

Gedo goes the for eye poke. Akira blocks him and throws him by the beard. DF goes after Henare and is beats him up in the seats. DF hits mounted punches on Akira then spits at Henare.

DF suplex throws Akira. Akira chops DF but is chopped down. Akira rolls him into a double stomp. Heanre gets in. He shoulders over DF and hits forearms. Henare corner lariats him and flurries on him with shots. Henare sentons DF.

DF euros him and uranage backbreakers him. Akira and Gedo get in. Akira leg lariats him then hits running corner shots. Gedo superkicks him then hits punches. Henare full-nelson's Gedo from behind. Henare and DF trade. DF lariats Henare over the top and goes with him.

Gedo eye pokes Akira and jawbreakers him. Gedo cradles him for 2. Akira meteora's him in the back of the neck and wins.

Thoughts: It was a short one here. I thought they were effective in having DF avoid and annoy Henare to help build to that match. DF was a good heel here.

DF takes Henare's Openweight Title after but drops it.

G1 Climax 2024 Block B Match - Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jeff Cobb

They shoulder battle to start. KT facekicks him then flying lariats him. Cobb pounces him then clubs his back. Cobb stands on his back and surfs. They fight on the apron and Cobb is forearmed. KT tope con hilos him. KT goes up on the buckles and is dropkicked. Cobb 2nd rope karelin's lifts him.

Cobb standing moonsaults him for 2. KT superplexes him. KT flips out of a german and poisonrana's him. Cobb hits a big lariat. KT germans him for 2. KT tries to flying knee him but is caught and takes a backdrop. Cobb muso's him then lariats him while he lays on the mat. KT goes for blue thunder and is lariated. KT blue thunders Cobb for 2.

Cobb jumping knees him then KT jumping knees him. Cobb hits a headbutt to the chest at 10 minutes. KT hits a big forearm then falcon arrows him for the win.

Thoughts: It didn't really get the time it needed and was a bit rushed. It was action packed though and had a fast pace to it. I would have like to have seen Cobb's size respected more here as KT threw him around like anyone else. It was entertaining but I'd like to see a longer rematch.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Callum Newman

Zack bridges out of a wristlock and knocks him over. CN bodyscissors im then Zack twists the foot. CN escapes. Zack does a kimura takeover and headscissors him. CN handstands to escape.

Zack wristlocks him. CN flips him over by the arm and Zack upkicks him. Zack side headlocks him, CN trips him and low dropkicks him. CN 2nd rope moonsaults him. CN chinlocks him.

Zack throws him down by the arm. Zack hits a hard kick to the back then stomps his arm into the mat. CN hits some shots and is knocked over. Zack running facekicks him then CN does them back. CN ropes the ropes and hits a flying dropkick.

CN euros him in the corner then PK's him for 2. Zack hits euros. CN kips up from one and buzzsaw kicks him in the shoulder. CN spin kicks him in the gut. Zack does a tornado ddt and a guillotine choke. CN suplexes him out of it.

Zack blocks a corkscrew kick with an ankle lock. They reverse each others pin attempts and CN gets a 2 count on him. CN shotgun dropkicks him. Zack stops an os cutter then CN does an octopus on him. CN hits a code red for 2.

CN hits a sitout powerbomb for 2. Zack triangles him off of it. Zack adds an ankle lock on top of it and wins.

Thoughts: It was your usual submission exhibition by Zack with him not really targeting anything specific in route to winning. It was fast paced and CN made for a good match here, but Zack working a specific part and having the same match would have been better. There was a lot of technical wrestling here as expected.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Shingo Takagi vs. Great-O-Khan

Khan and Shingo go at it. Khan suplexes him then stomps on him. Khan triangles him and Shingo ropebreaks. Shingo hits punches then Khan armbars him off a chop attempt. Khan hits knees to the body. Shingo avoids being thrown and lariats him in the back of the head. Shingo hits forearms and punches in the corner. Khan mongolian chops him. Shingo sentons him and suplexes him.

Khan trips Shingo. Khan fireman's carry takeovers him, monkey flips and shoulder drops him. Khan sheepkillers him then suplexes him off of it. Shingo no sells it and lariats him.

Shingo corner lariats him then 2nd rope suplexes him. Shingo hits downward elbows and forearm combos him. Khan hits a straight punch after a Shingo headbutt. Khan sheepkillers him over the back and spinning drops him.

Shingo ddt's him off a chokeslam attempt. Khan lariats him then Shingo hits a dragon suplex. Shingo lariats him. They both run at each other and Shingo hits a lariat to win.

Thoughts: Selling was not a big priority on this one. They kept this one moving and had a fun and explosive match together. I really like Khan's new style and it is definitely leading to better matches. The two matched up well here.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Gabe Kidd vs. Shota Umino

They stare down and do a couple of lock-ups. Shota side headlocks him then Gabe side headlocks him. Gabe slaps him and they each hit forearms. They go head to head and Shota dropkicks him. Shota euros him and footchokes him.

Shota gets his slingshot ddt blocked. Gabe bites him then backdrops him. Gabe hits kicks and chops. Gabe footchokes him then hits chops and forearms. Shota powers up and hits forearms then takes a headbutt flurry. Gabe crabs him.

Gabe footslaps him and Shota back body drops him. Shota hits cross rhodes. Shota tornado ddt's him then lifting reverse ddt's him for 2. Shota hits ignition and Gabe drops him with punches.

They trade forearms. Shota pop-up knees him then hits an enzugiri. Gabe headbutts him and lariats him for 1. Shota exploders him then Gabe lariats him. Shota hits a half-nelson suplex and spinning forearms him for 2. Shota stomp flurries him then hits facewash kicks.

Shota paintbrushes him and they slap each other. They forearm each other then slap each other. Gabe hits headbutts and slap each other more. Gabe goes down. Gabe lariats him on the ropes then Gabe piledrivers him.

Gabe punches Shota then lion tamers him. Gabe doctor bombs him and wins.

Thoughts: It was a good match here with Gabe being the heel, Shota being the face and Shota going toe to toe with Gabe. Lots of slaps and forearms here and lots of hatred before the two. I would have liked a better finish and more time between the two but I liked this one and it went well. 

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - SANADA vs. EVIL

Sanada is given a HoT t-shirt and puts it on. Evil gets on the mic and asks Sanada to lay down since they are teammates. Sanada then cradles Evil when he tries to pin him and rips the shirt up. Evil goes to walk away then Sanada nails him and brings him back to the ring.

Sanada trips him and puts him in a paradise lock. Sanada wristlocks Evil then Togo trips Sanada from the outside. Sanada is sent into the rails and knocks the timekeeper over outside. Sanada tries to get in and is knocked off the apron into the timekeeper again.

Sanada hits punches and is sent into the exposed buckle. Sanada hits chops then russian legsweeps him. Sanada dropkicks him off a leapfrog and plancha's him outside. Togo is sent into the rails by Sanada outside.

Evil corner lariats him and fisherman suplexes him for 2. Sanada backrolls him into a grounded dragon sleeper. Sanada is thrown into the ref. Sanada takes attacks from Evil and Togo. Sanada dropkicks a chair into Evil and dropkicks Togo off the apron. Sanada shining wizards Evil.

The ref is thrown into Sanada and Sanada takes a low blow. Sanada then low blows Evil. Evil hits darkness falls for 2. Sanada bridging, twisting neckbreakers Evil. Sanada moonsaults him then hits a flatliner. Sanada plancha's Togo outside.

Sanada hits a shining wizard to the back of the neck. He then takes a low blow and a neckbreaker and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was the usual House of Torture BS with interference, cheating and ref bumps. It sucked like it always does.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Tetsuya Naito vs. Jake Lee

They take a while to lock up. Jake forearms him on the ropes, irish whips him and Naito trips into the ropes. They go out. Naito wraps around the post and goes in to pose. Naito neckbreakers him.

Naito hits some elbows. Jake lifts him with a choke and throws him down. Naito is thrown into the rails and a chair. Jake ddt's him on the stage. They get back in and Jake PK's him. Jake sleepers him. Naito baseball slides the back of his head.

Naito neckbreakers him then cravates him. They trade forearms and Jake punches him down. Jake laughs and says "tranquillo". Naito sits up tope and is chokeslammed down. Naito step up enzugiri's him then hits a bad destino. El Phantasmo says it's not working for him lately and he doesn't know why he keeps doing it.

Jake hits a big knee to the gut then backdrops him. Jake high kicks him. Naito step up enzugiri's him. Jake high kicks him. Naito is lifted and hits a reverse ddt/destino out of it that doesn't look that good and wins.

Thoughts: It didn't look like a good one on paper and it wasn't. Naito's offense looked awful here and he just randomly tripped into the ropes and looked like a fool in the beginning. Jake had bad high kicks here and it was an ugly match.

Overall thoughts: This was not as good as the first two nights. The top two matches emphasized everything that has sucked about NJPW this year, the first few matches were throwaways and the other G-1 matches were good. It was an average show overall with low lows, some highs and some average matches.