Pro Wrestling Report Card

New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 32, Day 1
July 16, 2022
Hokkaido Prefectural Sports Center; Sapporo, Japan

The undercard

Tom Lawlor p. Kosei Fujita (NKOTB): If you went to make coffee, you missed it.

Bad Dude Tito, JONAH^W p. Ryohei Oiwa^L, Toru Yano (powerbomb)

SHO, Yujiro Takahashi^W, EVIL p. Jado^L, David Finlay, Tama Tonga (Pimp Juice): The first of about three dozen falls that Jado will eat in the preview tags.

Chase Owens, Bad Luke Fale, Juice Robinson^W, KENTA p. TAKA Michinoku^L, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Lance Archer (Left Hand of God): Juice used the classic barroom finisher: a punch to the face.

YOSHI-HASHI, Tomohiro Ishii^W, Hirooki Goto p. BUSHI^L, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito (Vertical-Drop Brainbuster): The only junior heavyweight in the bout was pinned. Can you believe it?

The report card

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Aaron Henare (C Block)
Result: Henare p. Tanahashi (Streets of Rage).
In short: Henare’s tournament debut was a successful one (clean in the middle) in a solid bout — a true victory for thic boys everywhere.
Highlights
+ Tanahashi bounced off Henare’s knees like a trampoline on a High Fly Flow attempt.
Grade: B-

Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo (D Block)
Result: Ospreay p. Phantasmo (Hidden Blade).
In short: It was the type of fast-paced bout that you’d expect, bringing a touch of the Super Juniors to the G1. Maybe it should have headlined a different show?
Highlights
+ Ospreay said he didn’t care if the fans made noise as ELP tried to hype the crowd, then immediately blasted a shotgun dropkick to initiate a furious opening sequence.
+ Phantasmo was chopped to hell after doing his trademark back rake. The last rake of the tournament?
+ A tremendous segment after a strike exchange that ended with a reverse Spanish Fly.
+ The finish was concise and impactful. Ospreay rolled out of a backslide and decapitated Phantasmo with a Hidden Blade.
Lowlights
– ELP’s errant, long Thunder Kiss ’86 looked … awkward.
Grade: A-

SANADA vs. Jay White (B Block)
Result: White p. SANADA (Blade Runner).
In short: White turnbuckle-flipped out of a Dragon Sleeper and into a Blade Runner, a classic Switchblade finish of a match that had a few good nearfalls. White’s biggest opponent continues to be the anti-shouting rules.
Highlights
+ White increased his relatability by complaining about the humidity — what a babyface.
+ SANADA had probably the most-convincing application of Skull End in history before Gedo jumped on the apron.
Lowlights
– Sanada’s hair. I mean, what are we doing?
– Sanada’s new unintentional, intentional low blow is dumb.
Grade: B

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb (A Block)
Result: Okada p. Cobb (Rainmaker).
In short: A fine main event that was temporarily sidetracked as Okada appealed for the ring to be fixed. Cobb’s power spots are dazzling.
Highlights
+ Okada’s new robe and ring gear: Pure class, baby.
+ Cobb launched the highest fallaway slam you’ll see after he plucked Okada out of the air.
+ More raw strength from Cobb. He gut-wrenched Okada off the middle rope.
+ The two had an inventive tombstone sequence, which included Cobb pulling Okada back off the mat before being reversed.
Lowlights
– A board popped up in the middle of the ring after a flapjack from Okada. Referee Red Shoes Unno appeared to stomp it back into place as the wrestlers took the action to the outside.
– The ending was a tiny bit flat.
Grade: B+

In conclusion

Saturday provided a very good start to the G1, though Ospreay and Phantasmo would have benefitted from being further up the card.

The empty seats in Hokkaido were a little disappointing, but even worse, the fans still aren’t allowed to yell. Chris Charlton indicated that won’t change until September. The muted crowd isn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s a shame the G1’s atmosphere will suffer once again.

Block standings

A Block
Kazuchika Okada 1-0-0 (2)
Lance Archer 0-0-0 (0)
JONAH 0-0-0 (0)
Toru Yano 0-0-0 (0)
Tom Lawlor 0-0-0 (0)
Bad Luck Fale 0-0-0 (0)
Jeff Cobb 0-1-0 (0)

B Block
Jay White 1-0-0 (2)
Taichi 0-0-0 (0)
Tama Tonga 0-0-0 (0)
Tomohiro Ishii 0-0-0 (0)
Great-O-Khan 0-0-0 (0)
Chase Owens 0-0-0 (0)
SANADA 0-1-0 (0)

C Block
Aaron Henare 1-0-0 (2)
KENTA 0-0-0 (0)
Zack Sabre Jr. 0-0-0 (0)
Hirooki Goto 0-0-0 (0)
Tetsuya Naito 0-0-0 (0)
EVIL 0-0-0 (0)
Hiroshi Tanahashi 0-1-0 (0)

D Block
Will Ospreay 1-0-0 (2)
David Finlay 0-0-0 (0)
YOSHI-HASHI 0-0-0 (0)
Shingo Takagi 0-0-0 (0)
Juice Robinson 0-0-0 (0)
Yujiro Takahashi 0-0-0 (0)
El Phantasmo 0-1-0 (0)

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