Pro Wrestling Report Card

New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 32, Day 16
Aug. 13, 2022
Machida City Gymnasium; Machida, Tokyo, Japan

The undercard

El Phantasmo, Chase Owens^W, Juice Robinson, Bad Luck Fale p. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tama Tonga, David Finlay, Jado^L (C-Trigger).

JONAH^W, Bad Dude Tito p. Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs^L (Black Forest Bomb).

BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito, SANADA^W sub. Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr., TAKA Michinoku^L (Skull End).

Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii^W, Hirooki Goto p. SHO, Dick Togo^L, EVIL (Vertical-Drop Brainbuster).

The report card

Aaron Henare vs. KENTA (C Block)
Result: KENTA sub. Henare (Game Over).
In short: There were a few things in this match that weren’t exactly inch-perfect. In fact, they looked bad. It’s not a bout that anyone should watch twice. Although, I did because the feed crapped out the first time.
Highlights
+ KENTA escaped the Ultima by wrapping his legs around ref Kenta Sato. KENTA-on-Kenta action.
+ They had a decent strike battle near the finish.
Lowlights
– Henare basically dropped KENTA while attempting a Blue Thunder Bomb. It looked terrible.
Grade: C-

Toru Yano vs. Jeff Cobb (A Block)
The result: Cobb p. Yano (Tour of the Islands).
In short: This was a proper Yano match at least. It had a couple amusing comedy spots but most importantly, it was short. Cobb blinded Yano with his own T-shirt and hit the Tour.
Highlights
+ Cobb came out impersonating Yano, including a custom introduction.
+ Yano didn’t come to the ring when his music played. He eventually jumped Cobb from behind and trapped the big man’s arms inside of his own tights.
+ Cobb was still able to throw a dropkick with his arms pinned to his sides.
Grade: C-

Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi (D Block)
Result: Takagi p. Yujiro (Last of the Dragon).
In short: These two guys were playing different songs. Shingo’s undeniable talent made the bout serviceable.
Highlights
+ Shingo retched after biting Yujiro.
+ SHO saved Yujiro, who had taken a Death Valley Driver on the outside, from a countout.
+ The finish was good. Shingo eliminated the bullshit. He took a chair shot, punched the chair into Yujiro’s face, threw the chair into SHO, and hit the Pumping Bomber and Last of the Dragon.
Lowlights
– It almost seemed like Yujiro went out of his way to make his offense look unimpressive.
Grade: C+

YOSHI-HASHI vs. Will Ospreay (D Block)
Result: Ospreay p. YOSHI-HASHI (Hidden Blade).
In short: Ospreay knows how to lift his matches to another level at the finish. That happened again here. On another note, YOSHI-HASHI should just incorporate shoulder tape into his ring attire.
Highlights
+ Ospreay countered an early Karma attempt with a stunner.
+ YOSHI-HASHI hit Karma out of nowhere to culminate a strike battle. He was slow to cover, though, as he grabbed his arm, which Ospreay worked over the whole match.
+ YH kicked Ospreay in the face as Will attempted an OsCutter. YOSHI-HASHI followed with a Canadian Destroyer.
+ This was listed as a lowlight originally: YOSHI-HASHI escaped a powerbomb attempt by turning it into an X-Factor. On first watch, it was hard to tell what the hell happened. After looking at the replay, however, it was executed well.
Grade: A-

Taichi vs. Jay White (B Block)
Result: White p. Taichi (Blade Runner).
In short: This main event, until the closing moments, was almost painfully slow. The pace increased before the end, but the finish left something to be desired.
Highlights
+ White suffocated Taichi with ring apron.
+ Gedo pulled Miho Abe by her hair to create a distraction. This prompted Taichi to enter a trance, no-sell White’s offense and hit a Last Ride.
+ Taichi used the Gedo Clutch for a nice nearfall.
Lowlights
– The ending was odd. White hit the Blade Runner, laid on the mat for a while, struggled to pick Taichi back up, then hit the Blade Runner again. Something was missing.
Grade: B+

In conclusion

This doesn’t have anything to do with the in-ring action, but New Japan needs to stop booking venues that can’t turn down the house lights. It looks like amateur hour.

Block standings

A Block
Kazuchika Okada 4-1-0 (8)
JONAH 3-2-0 (6)
Jeff Cobb 3-2-0 (6)
Lance Archer 3-2-0 (6)
Tom Lawlor 2-3-0 (4)
Bad Luck Fale 2-3-0 (4)
Toru Yano 1-5-0 (2)

B Block
Jay White 5-0-0 (10)
Tama Tonga 4-1-0 (8)
SANADA 3-2-0 (6)
Taichi 2-3-0 (4)
Chase Owens 2-4-0 (4)
Great-O-Khan 1-4-0 (2)
Tomohiro Ishii 1-4-0 (2)

C Block
Zack Sabre Jr. 4-1-0 (8)
Hirooki Goto 3-2-0 (6)
Hiroshi Tanahashi 3-2-0 (6)
Tetsuya Naito 3-2-0 (6)
EVIL 2-3-0 (4)
KENTA 2-3-0 (4)
Aaron Henare 1-5-0 (2)

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

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