Pro Wrestling Report Card

New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 32, Day 6
July 26, 2022
Korakuen Hall; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan

The undercard

SHO^W, Yujiro Takahashi sub. Yuto Nakashima^W, Ryohei Oiwa (Snake Bite).

Toru Yano^W, Tomohiro Ishii p. Bad Dude Tito^L, JONAH (school boy): Standing next to JONAH provides a stark reminder of just how undersized Ishii is at heavyweight.

Aaron Henare^W, Jeff Cobb, Will Ospreay sub. Jado^L, Tama Tonga, Hirooki Goto (Ultima).

YOSHI-HASHI^W, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada p. Taka Michinoku^L, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. (lariat): TAKA has now been beaten by a punch from Juice Robinson and a lariat from YOSHI-HASHI on this tour.

BUSHI^W, SANADA, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito p. Gedo^L, El Phantasmo, Bad Luck Fale, Jay White (MX): Watching Takagi and ELP clash should fire everyone up for their G1 fixture.

The report card

Great-O-Khan vs. Chase Owens (B Block)
Result: Chase Owens p. Great-O-Khan (Package Piledriver).
In short: The start of this match was pretty ridiculous (more on that below). The finish was slick, but the bout was otherwise unremarkable.
Highlights
+ Owens pulled O’Khan’s neck into the top role, nailed him with a C-trigger and hit the Package Piledriver in a smooth ending sequence.
Lowlights
– Owens jumped O-Khan with powder to the eyes during introductions and nearly scored a flash pin. But, for Christ’s sake, why would the referee (Marty Asami) ring the bell after watching that happen directly in front of him? Stupid.
– A cardinal sin at Pro Wrestling Report Card: Owens had a dreadfully weak kickout of a TTD. If you’re going to kick out, then kick out.
– O-Khan’s shoulders weren’t actually down when he was pinned, which seems important.
Grade: C

KENTA vs. EVIL (C Block)
Result: EVIL d. KENTA by countout.
In short: This bout was chicanery and cheating from start to finish. There were multiple ref bumps, the lights went out, and it all finished with a countout when Dick Togo, who was hiding under the apron, grabbed KENTA’s legs as he tried to get back into the ring. Entertaining, but total nonsense.
Highlights
+ KENTA, a savvy businessman, pitched his new book at the start.
Lowlights
– The ending seemed a little mistimed. EVIL went from being choked by a chair one moment to springing up and racing to the ring seconds later.
Grade: C-

Tom Lawlor vs. Lance Archer (A Block)
Result: Archer p. Lawlor (Blackout).
In short: A solid G1 debut for Lawlor, who has gained the favor of the NJPW fans in a short amount of time. The giant-vs.-grappler psychology was great. Is it me or does Archer seem more comfortable here than in AEW?
Highlights
+ Lawlor sold well while getting manhandled, which included taking a release suplex.
+ Filthy caught Archer’s pounce attempt with a front face lock.
+ Royce Isaacs looked very regal ringside in his purple jumpsuit.
Grade: B

David Finlay vs. Juice Robinson (D Block)
Result: Finlay p. Robinson (Trash Panda).
In short: The former tag team partners told a great story in a rugged match. The action got better and better as the bout unfolded. There was a ref bump at the end that ultimately resulted in Finlay clubbing Robinson with a shillelagh before hitting his finish.
Highlights
+ Robinson focused nearly all his offense on Finlay’s bad left arm, including smashing it into the post to take control late.
+ Finlay showed good fire, particularly when he whipped Robinson around the barricades and then smashed Juice’s previously broken hand.
+ There were a pair of terrific nearfalls: Finlay kicked out of Pulp Friction, and Robinson got his foot on the rope after being hit with an Acid Drop.
Lowlights
– Juice is so cool; he uses the F-word, like, a lot.
– The ref bump and weapon shot seemed unnecessary — a little overindulgent.
Grade: A-

In conclusion

This installment of the G1 was in danger of being a dud if the final two matches didn’t rise to the occasion. The artists formerly known as FinJuice, however, made the most of the main event spotlight.

Finally, six shows into the tour, all G1 participants have at least one bout under their belts.

Block standings

A Block
Kazuchika Okada 2-0-0 (4)
Jeff Cobb 1-1-0 (2)
Bad Luck Fale 1-1-0 (2)
Lance Archer 1-1-0 (2)
Toru Yano 1-1-0 (2)
JONAH 0-1-0 (0)
Tom Lawlor 0-1-0 (0)

B Block
Jay White 2-0-0 (4)
Tama Tonga 1-0-0 (2)
Chase Owens 1-1-0 (2)
SANADA 1-1-0 (2)
Taichi 1-1-0 (2)
Great-O-Khan 0-1-0 (0)
Tomohiro Ishii 0-2-0 (0)

C Block
Zack Sabre Jr. 2-0-0 (4)
EVIL 1-0-0 (2)
Hirooki Goto 1-0-0 (2)
Aaron Henare 1-1-0 (2)
Hiroshi Tanahashi 1-1-0 (2)
KENTA 0-2-0 (0)
Tetsuya Naito 0-2-0 (0)

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

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