Pro Wrestling Report Card

New Japan Pro Wrestling
G1 Climax 32 Final
Aug. 18, 2022
Nippon Budokan; Chiyoda City, Tokyo, Japan

The undercard

Tomohiro Ishii, YOH^W, YOSHI-HASHI, Hirooki Goto p. SHO, Dick Togo^L, Yujiro Takahashi, EVIL (Direct Drive).

JONAH^W, Bad Dude Tito p. Tom Lawlor, Royce Isaacs^L: Judging by the reaction he received, “Operation Get JONAH Over” was a success.

Aaron Henare, Jeff Cobb^W, Great-O-Khan p. Juice Robinson^L, Chase Owens, Bad Luck Fale (Tour of the Islands): Cobb caught Juice coming off the top rope. Robinson hasn’t been racking up wins since his faction change.

.@RealJeffCobb "Tour of the Islands"

Sign up Now & Stay tuned to https://t.co/CcdQ1XamUA#njpw #G1FINAL #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/RWZrMmUf1k

— NJPW WORLD (@njpwworld) August 18, 2022

Lance Archer, Zack Sabre Jr., Taichi^W p. BUSHI^L, SANADA, Tetsuya Naito (Yokozuna Forearm).

KENTA, El Phantasmo^W p. Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi^L (inside cradle).

David Finlay, Hiroshi Tanahashi^W p. Karl Anderson^L, Doc Gallows (High Fly Flow): Gallows was lured to the back by Toru Yano, because they’re apparently in a blood feud …

KUSHIDA^W, Tama Tonga p. Jay White, Taiji Ishimori^L (inside cradle).

The report card

Kazuchika Okada (A Block winner) vs. Will Ospreay (D Block winner)
Result: Okada p. Ospreay (Rainmaker).
In short: The match went more than 30 minutes but felt like it was over in the blink of an eye. It was tremendous and still managed to surprise even when viewers knew that twists and turns were guaranteed. The only regret possible is that fans weren’t allowed to yell, because they would have been going insane.
Highlights
+ Ospreay used Okada’s customary dropkick off the turnbuckle, then hit a Sky Twister Press to the floor, followed closely by an OsCutter off the barricade.
+ Ospreay caught ridiculous hang time while taking a back drop.
+ Will sold the damage to his neck expertly throughout the entire match.
+ Okada took a gnarly looking OsCutter on the apron.
+ Okada countered another OsCutter attempt with a dropkick.
+ Ospreay said he studied all the wrestlers who beat Okada. To that end, he used a High Fly Flow, Styles Clash and V-Trigger. He attempted a One-Winged Angel and got countered by a Landslide. Okada then hit the Rainmaker for a dramatic nearfall.
Grade: A+

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