Pro Wrestling Report Card

New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 32 semifinals
Aug. 17, 2022
Nippon Budokan; Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan

The undercard

Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, YOSHI-HASHI, YOH^W p. Lance Archer, TAKA Michinoku^L, Douki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru (Direct Drive).

Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr.^W sub. Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs^L (arm bar): The Boy George-George Michael feud raged again between Lawlor and Sabre.

JONAH^W, Bad Dude Tito p. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma^L (lariat).

Juice Robinson, Chase Owens^W, Bad Luck Fale p. Jeff Cobb, Great-O-Khan, Aaron Henare^L (Package Piledriver): As good a Package Piledriver you could see.

Yujiro Takahashi, El Phantasmo, EVIL, KENTA^W sub. BUSHI^L, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, SANADA (Game Over).

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano^W, KUSHIDA, David Finlay p. Doc Gallows^L, Karl Anderson, Taiji Ishimori, Jay White (low blow).

The report card

Kazuchika Okada (A Block winner) vs. Tama Tonga (B Block winner)
Result: Okada p. Tama (Rainmaker).
In short: This match started with Tama fighting underneath, and Okada implying with his demeanor that the son of Haku wasn’t up to the task. That section could have gone longer, actually. However, the match built to a successful peak and had dramatic moments at the end.
Highlights
+ A big lariat from Tama got his offense started and the crowd engaged.
+ Tama countered a Rainmaker attempt with Bloody Sunday.
+ Tama hit the Gun Stun out of a Rainmaker ripcord, which got a big pop from the crowd and an equal reaction for the nearfall. It also set up two more spots later in the bout.
Lowlights
-Veleno looked like crap.
Grade: A-

Tetsuya Naito (C Block winner) vs. Will Ospreay (D Block winner)
Result: Ospreay p. Naito (Storm Breaker).
In short: This match lacked smoothness at points but had a few mesmerizing spots and, ultimately, was a tremendous main event. The conclusion was edge-of-your-seat stuff.
Highlights
+ Ospreay’s chops have to be the most wicked in the industry.
+ One of the outstanding sequences: both wrestlers slapped the piss out of each other to finish a strike exchange; Naito narrowly ducked a Hidden Blade; Ospreay cut off a tornado DDT attempt with a brainbuster; Naito hit a counter hurricanrana and spiked Will with a tornado DDT.
+ Ospreay was vaulted in the air and smashed his face off the turnbuckle to set up Naito’s scary top-rope Poison-rana.
+ Two big kickouts: one after Naito’s running Destino and another after a Hidden Blade.
Lowlights
– There were a couple little miscues early. Naito almost slipped hitting the ropes, and the pair lost each other while reversing Irish whips.
Grade: A

In conclusion

Two matches worthy of being called semifinals. Fans should be salivating at the prospect of watching Ospreay vs. Okada, who in a previous tournament combined for one of the greatest G1 block matches ever.

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