Pro Wrestling Report Card

New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 32, Day 12
Aug. 6, 2022
EDION Arena Osaka; Osaka, Japan

The undercard

SHO^W, Yujiro Takahashi, Chase Owens, EVIL sub. Ryohei Oiwa^L, David Finlay, Tama Tonga, Tomohiro Ishii (arm bar).

Aaron Henare^W, Jeff Cobb p. Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs^L (Streets of Rage).

KENTA, Juice Robinson^W, Bad Luck Fale p. BUSHI^L, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito (Pulp Friction).

Hiroshi Tanahashi^W, Kazuchika Okada p. JONAH, Bad Dude Tito^L (High Fly Flow).

The report card

YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo (D Block)
Result: YOSHI-HASHI p. Phantasmo (Karma).
In short: A great opener to block action that kept an exciting pace. Seemed like both guys had something to prove.
Highlights
+ ELP’s rope-walking looked effortless, as usual.
+ Phantasmo skipped his head off the canvas after taking a basement dropkick.
+ YOSHI-HASHI broke out a rare dive. Must have been inspired by his opponent.
+ ELP decapitated YH with a superkick.
+ There was a great nearfall after ELP hit Thunder Kiss ’86.
Grade: A-

Toru Yano vs. Lance Archer (A Block)
Result: Archer p. Yano (Blackout).
In short: A typical Yano match with a notable botch.
Highlights
+ Yano taped Archer to young lion Yuto Nakashima. Archer dragged Nakashima through the barricade and into ring before a double clothesline spot.
+ Archer’s running knee in the corner is a nice setup for the Blackout.
Lowlights
– In a reversal of roles, Archer brought tape and attached Yano to the barricade. Yano pulled out scissors to free himself. He couldn’t cut the tape, though, and the ref had to slow his count to let Yano unwrap.
Grade: D

Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (C Block)
Result: Sabre sub. Goto (armbar).
In short: Nothing flashy here, contrary to the main event. ZSJ attacked Goto’s arm throughout the bout, avoided the GTR at the end and got the submission.
Highlights
+ Sabre mangled Goto’s arm at the conclusion and drew gasps from the crowd.
Grade: B+

Great-O-Khan vs. Jay White (B Block)
Result: White p. O-Khan (Blade Runner).
In short: White took most of the match, which featured good psychology, a good story and a neat finish.
Highlights
+ White took the time to yell, “What the hell is that?” after O-Khan’s trademark (?) butt-to-butt pin attempt.
+ O-Khan actually sold a leg injury by NOT running on it. Go figure.
+ It was a creative finish. White hit the Blade Runner while O-Khan still had the Claw on his face.
Lowlights
– It looked like Jay had to remind O-Khan what was next prior to the ending.
Grade: B+

Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (D Block)
Result: Takagi p. Ospreay (Last of the Dragon).
In short: Incredible stuff — dazzling sequences of action that didn’t feature a misstep, despite the high degrees of speed and difficulty.
Highlights
+ Takagi’s facial expressions are fantastic. And he doesn’t turn them off for a minute. He’s constantly emoting — even when he’s on his back during a pin attempt.
+ There was a ridiculously quick sequence around the 10-minute mark that included Ospreay backflipping out of a German suplex attempt and punctuating things with a head kick.
+ Ospreay hit a Spanish Fly off the top rope after a handful of teases.
+ A stunning segment saw Ospreay do a complete flip back to his feet after taking a Pumping Bomber; Shingo then countered an OsCutter with his own cutter and landed a pop-up DVD.
+ Ospreay used Made in Japan (England) after Shingo teased a Stormbreaker.
Lowlights
– Ospreay almost landed short on a 450.
Grade: A

In conclusion

Is Ospreay-Takagi the best combination New Japan has at its disposal? Possibly. This match could have been a tournament semifinal or final.

Another note: I’ve always appreciated the change of pace Yano has brought to the G1. His recent outings suggest that his time in the tournament might have run its course.

Block standings

A Block
Kazuchika Okada 3-0-0 (6)
JONAH 2-1-0 (4)
Jeff Cobb 2-2-0 (4)
Bad Luck Fale 2-2-0 (4)
Lance Archer 2-2-0 (4)
Tom Lawlor 1-2-0 (2)
Toru Yano 1-4-0 (2)

B Block
Jay White 4-0-0 (8)
Taichi 2-1-0 (4)
Tama Tonga 2-1-0 (4)
SANADA 2-2-0 (4)
Great-O-Khan 1-3-0 (2)
Chase Owens 1-3-0 (2)
Tomohiro Ishii 1-3-0 (2)

C Block
Hiroshi Tanahashi 3-1-0 (6)
Zack Sabre Jr. 3-1-0 (6)
Hirooki Goto 2-2-0 (4)
Tetsuya Naito 2-2-0 (4)
EVIL 1-2-0 (2)
KENTA 1-2-0 (2)
Aaron Henare 1-3-0 (2)

D Block
David Finlay 3-1-0 (6)
YOSHI-HASHI 2-1-0 (4)
Shingo Takagi 2-2-0 (4)
Will Ospreay 2-2-0 (4)
Yujiro Takahashi 2-2-0 (4)
El Phantasmo 1-2-0 (2)
Juice Robinson 1-3-0 (2)

Contact Pro Wrestling Report Card at prowrestlingreportcard@proton.me.