New Japan Pro Wrestling 8/6/2024 G1 Climax 34 Day 11

New Japan Pro Wrestling 8/6/2024 G1 Climax 34 Day 11

Day 10 is here:  https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/08/new-japan-pro-wrestling-842024-g1.html

Yota Tsuji and BUSHI vs Shoma Kato and Katsuya Murashima

Note - The feed I got of this joined the show after this had started.

Bushi beats up KM in the corner. He snapmares him and kicks him in the back. They trade slaps and KM dropkicks him. Kato hits forearms on Bushi then Kato flying forearms him. They trade shots. Kato forearms him then is dropkicked. Bushi twisting neckbreakers him for 2.

Bushi crabs Kato and sits all the way back to the point of falling over. Bushi then submits him.

Thoughts: It was a short one with the young lions getting their butts kicked as expected.

Hirooki Goto and Tomoaki Honma vs David Finlay and Gedo

Goto and DF trade forearms to start. Goto running lariats him. DF running euros him in the corner then takes a running lariat. DF rolls him up for 2 and running low euros him. Gedo comes in and eye rakes both opponents. Honma flying shoulders DF then Gedo takes an ushigoroshi. Honma falling headbutts Gedo then Goto GTR's Gedo to win.

Thoughts: It was a short one as it should have been and didn't accomplish much except getting people on the card.

Oleg Boltin, Toru Yano, El Phantasmo and Toru Yano vs HENARE, Jeff Cobb, Francesco Akira and Konosuke Takeshita

Oleg and Cobb shoulder battle. Oleg slams him then Cobb slams Yano. Akira corner lariats Yano and corner euros him. They grab each other by the hair. Yano atomic drops him.

KT and ELP go face to face. They trade forearms. KT drops him with a forearm then ELP hurricanrana's him. ELP step up enzugiri's him and KT flips him with a lariat.

Jado pulls Henare over the top and gets stopped on his bridging ddt attempt. Cobb is knocked into Henare. Cobb and Oleg both throw their opponents around at the same time. Oleg throws Akira at Cobb and dropkicks both. KT forearms Oleg. ELP flying headscissors KT then springboard plancha's KT.

Henare headbutts Gedo. Henare then taps out Jado with a full nelson.

Thoughts: The finish was real weak here. It was a short sprint with everyone getting one quick segment and then some stuff at the end. 

Yuya Uemura and TAKA Michinoku vs Ren Narita and Yoshinobu Kanemaru

Ren and Yuya stare down. They try to lock up but Ren ducks and tags out. YK tries to hit Yuya from behind and ends up taking an armdrag and dropkick after shots. YK boots Taka. Taka eye pokes him. Taka is pulled out then sent into the rails.

Ren nails Taka with a chair. Ren hits forearms and eye rakes Taka. YK elbows Taka in the face. Taka running facekicks YK. Taka shin kicks YK for 2 then running knees him. Taka does just facelock and Ren breaks it up. Yuya is pulled over the top by Ren. Yuya throws Ren into the rails. Taka superkicks YK. YK pushes Taka into Yuya then backrolls him to win.

Thoughts: It was another short one here that was a waste of time.

G1 Climax 34 Block A - Great-O-Khan vs Callum Newman

They start off fast but they don't hit any real moves off of it. CN flying kicks him. Khan uppercuts him then sits on his neck in the corner. CN jumping knees him then double stomps Khan's back.

CN kicks him in the conrer then hits PK's. CN standing moonsaults him for 2. CN goes for a corkscrew kick and takes a shoulder throw. CN jumping double knee presses him. CN flying dropkicks him in the corner and springboard double stomps Khan's back. CN goes for a springboard and sunset flips Khan. CN corkscrew kicks him for 2. Khan blade runners him and claw slams him for the win.

Thoughts: It was short and fast paced match. It was action packed and they really got a lot in with a small period of time here. It was a total and sprint and I enjoyed it.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Jake Lee vs Gabe Kidd

Jake comes out with beer. He puts the beer in the corner then is facekicked off the apron as he enters. Gabe chairs him in front of the ref and the ref doesn't care. Gabe has words for him on the mic. Gabe throws a table at him but misses. Jake then chairs Gabe and the match still hasn't actually started.

They trade forearms in the crowd and go up into the stands. They trade forearms in the stands. Gabe runs at him and takes a knee to the gut. Gabe hits chops and Jake bangs Gabe's head off the bleachers. Gabe's head is banged off a table. 

The match officially starts and Gabe takes him down for 2. Jake back body drops him and knees him in the gut. They trade shots. Jake high kicks him then flying step up enzugiri's him for 2. Jake bounces him with a powerbomb for 2.

Jake goes for his facekick and Gabe running lariats him. They trade forearms on their knees then get up and trade. Gabe slaps him. Jake hits a big facekick on the ropes.

Gabe germans him on the floor. Gabe runs at him and is tripped into the rails. Gabe then gets counted out.

Thoughts: Easily one of the best Jake Lee matches I have ever seen. Maybe the best. And that's because it wasn't a Jake Lee match. This was a Gabe Kidd match with Jake just being along for the ride. They kept it moving, they were aggressive with each other and they brawled all around. The crowd ate it all up and helped hide some of the simplicity of it. I really hope Jake learns something from this because his usual shtick isn't good.

They make up after.

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

EVIL brings Zack out with a side headlock. He and Togo stomp him in the ring. Togo throws powder at Zack and Zack takes a magic killer. The stupid ref starts the match with Zack blinded.

Evil tries pin attempts. Zack then rolls him up in return and wins.

Thoughts: This match starting after Zack took a 2v1 and had powder in his face was bogus. Thankfully they made this super short.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Tetsuya Naito vs Shota Umino

Shota shotgun dropkicks him then slingshot ddt's him over the middle rope to the apron. Shota drive by dropkicks him then tornado ddt's him on the floor. Shota springboard dropkicks him then hits ignition for 2.

Naito atomic drops him then hits a bridging neckbreaker for 2. Naito neckbreakers him on the apron then the floor. Naito baseball slides him then neckbreakers him inside.

Naito does a cravate. Shota dropkicks him and hits forearms. Shota running euros him then fisherman suplexes him for 2. Shota exploders him. Naito puts his legs around Shota's head and pulls. 

Naito hits back elbows. Shota hits spinning forearms then a running euro. Shota hits croos rhodes then does an elevated reverse ddt for 2. Naito brainbusters him. Naito's destino attempt is caught and he takes a fisherman's exploder for 2. Shota ddt's him for 2. Naito goes for destino and ends up cradling Shota up off of it to win.

Thoughts: I thought they did a little too much here with neckbreakers on the floor and apron not playing a huge role in this. Naito continues to struggle with getting up on destino and really should drop the move. I thought it slowed down some near the end and lost some of its flow. I don't really have an issue with Shota losing here as there's no harm in losing to the champ. I think I did like it overall but the potential was there for this to be greater than it was.

G1 Climax 2024 Block A Match - Shingo Takaga vs SANADA

They do some basic holds and Shingo trips him. Shingo side headlocks him and Sanada side headlock takeovers him. Sanada side headlocks him. Shingo shoulders him over. Sanada hits a dropkick to the knee and a regular dropkick. Sanada gets suplexes outside on the floor. Sanada is thrown into the rails.

Inside, Shingo sentons him. Shingo chokes him on the ropes and stands on him. Sanada russian legsweeps him. Sanada leapfrogs and dropkicks him. Sanada plancha's him outside. Sanada backdrops him for 2. Shingo ddt's him then suplexes him for 2. Shingo says his time is coming and twisting neckbreakers him. Sanada hits a magic screw. Sanada TKO's him.

Sanada flips out of a german and shining wizards him from behind. Shingo blocks a shining wizard and bangs Sanada's leg off the mat. Sanada shining wizards him then top rope moonsaults him for 2. Shingo pop-up death valle drivers him.

Shingo corner lariats him then superplexes him. Shingo hits a made in japan for 2. Shingo lariats him. Shingo lariats him on the ropes and Sanada back rolls him into a bridge for 2. Shingo blocks a hurricanrana and hits a sliding forearm. Sanada enzugiri's him and Shingo shining wizards him. Shingo lariats him for 2 then running lariats him. Sanada hits a deadfall ddt and wins.

Thoughts: It was a good match here and easily one of the best of the tournament. Not a lot of story but but  had a great flow to it and had some nice spots. The crowd was hot all throughout and the two matched up so well here. Shingo hitting the shining wizard was cool.

Sanada gets on the mic after. Sanada says it's time for a gift. He has the lights turned off. He said he beat Shingo. He said he wouldn't say Korauken was his favorite place.

Overall thoughts: This was a weekday show and because of it, the show was rushed. I think they wanted to get people in home in time and didn't have a ton of time to set up and clean up. All of the G1 matches were atleast okay except for the Evil match, which was short. Shingo/Sanada was good. Naito/Shota wasn't perfect but still had some things to like about it. Jake/Gabe was the best match Jake's maybe ever been in and Newman/Khan was good. I'd recommend this one and it was a pretty easy watch.