The thirty-second G1 Climax tournament ran from July 16th to August 18th, with twenty-eight wrestlers competing in four blocks of seven for singles match supremacy. Standout block matches, wrestlers, and final tournament standings are listed below the match thoughts. Read about the Finals here.
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 1 (7/16/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Aaron Henare
Tanahashi entered for his 21st G1 Climax as fired up as ever. He sold Henare’s offense well enough and Henare hit hard enough for this to work as a solid tournament opener with some extra touches of Tanahashi quality. ***1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block D: Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo
ELP campaigned to move weight classes from junior to heavyweight for the G1 and here he is, a heavyweight and babyface too because people like it when guys challenge themselves and have cool theme songs. They did some pretty spectacular dives, moves and counters then wrapped it up. ***1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. Jay White
I’m putting it on the record: Jay White is good. He can have a good New Japan main event, sure, but give him 20 with SANADA in the sweltering Hokkaido heat and he’ll kick it off yelling “Holy shit, it’s hot!” then spend the rest of it trying to keep you entertained with heel shtick, ironic chants, and other tomfoolery. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
Good match, around the same level as their one last year which was way better than the piece of trash they had the year before. It would be nice to see them have one with more than clapping for a response at some point. ***1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 2 (7/17/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi
A test of strength, will, and toxic masculinity — plus that part of every Taichi match where he rips his pants off. Ishii and Taichi have had a bunch of matches together but always get right to the point and deliver violent magic. ****
2. G1 Climax – Block A: JONAH vs. Toru Yano
JONAH is 6-feet tall, 300-something pounds, a real big boy making his New Japan debut here against Toru Yano. He started the match more concerned about Yano’s wrist tape than kicking his ass, then despite an assist from Bad Boy Tito he lost by a countout. Not a good start. *3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block C: KENTA vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Here’s two dudes with attitudes just kicking at each other for a little while, it’s a good time or at least a fun one. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. Juice Robinson
The last time Juice was in a G1 Climax he was wearing custom outfits made from every color of the rainbow; two years later it’s all Bullet Club black — the years, they change us. He kept up if not added much more to a New Japan main event with Shingo, who was working extra snug to really make that win seem earned. ***3/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 3 (7/20/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: Yujiro Takahashi vs. David Finlay
A tough sell on any card. David got applause for an early dropkick and pescado, then hyped everyone up and gave his take on Ospreay’s Hidden Blade which just disappointed everybody. SHO will be playing the role of Yujiro’s Gedo/Dick Togo guy for this G1 and hit David with a wrench to win those points. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Chase Owens
The fired-up start for the babyface is a wrestling staple, and Tama Tonga can kind of do one. Then there was the rest of the match, a concerning follow-up to the match that came before it. They tried. **1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Lance Archer
The lumbering here as they brawled on the floor recalled some of the less good Kane vs. Undertaker matches, though at one point there was an ugly hurricanrana too. *3/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. Hirooki Goto
I’ve seen a dozen Naito vs. Goto matches and they’re usually really good but among a bunch of other more spectacular matches. Here’s me watching them in 2016 and in 2020, but use the search function on the site — it’s a theme with theme. So I don’t know if Naito and Goto had a better match here than the last ones, or if I’ve personally just given in and accepted the consistency. The crowd seemed to like it at least — when they both struggled to stand-up late in the match it was in front of one of the longest stretches of clapping I’ve ever heard in my life. ***3/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 4 (7/23/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block C: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Aaron Henare
ZSJ is an established prick of a person while Henare is a prick-in-training who might use this G1 as a launching pad. Henare threw Zack around, Zack put Henare in some holds, Henare worked his way out of them. It stayed convincing but didn’t get interesting enough before Henare tapped. ***
2. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. YOSHI-HASHI
I’d say you need a certain suspension of disbelief to watch YOSHI-HASHI work over Shingo Takagi, but at the end Shingo had to catch YOSHI with a rollup to win so maybe it’s not me who should be offering advice on the challenges of competing against YOSHI-HASHI. This had plenty of good NOOJ pro wrestling in just under 20 minutes, and in the middle of a late strike exchange Shingo just started punching YOSHI in the head. ***3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Toru Yano
Toru Yano, infamous prankster and lifer of New Japan, entered for this match with a serious look on his face. He swapped the trickery and turnbuckles for pro wrestling moves, like a Manhattan drop and catapult into the turnbuckle. Okada entertained the curiosity for about 10 minutes until Yano brought in a chair and got Money Clipped. On one hand it wasn’t very good, on the other they teased and delivered a Yano powerbomb for a near fall. The effort of that! ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White
Switchblade was all business against Ishii to start, a contrast from the cocky chanting guy he’s been lately. Once White found a stretch of offense he devolved into his usual shithead self, and once the match got to around 20 minutes Ishii evolved into his awesome big match wrestler self. ****
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 5 (7/24/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: El Phantasmo vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Yujiro tried to win and send ELP home with Pieter like he was Charles Wright or something, which ELP accepted before tricking him and wrestling for 10 more minutes. Not much happened but the finish was beautiful, at least for ELP: he framed Yujiro with a wrench, kicked him in the balls when the ref went to toss it, superkicked him, dived onto SHO, and re-entered with a Superfly splash for 3. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. Taichi
Because sometimes you do have to switch things up, Taichi’s been using Sumo attacks as offense and the crowd popped when SANADA jumped into a palm to the throat. He and SANADA spent the first part of the match debating between flexing their tits or wrestling each other, and while about halfway in they kicked up the tempo and closed up strong I still think I liked the first part better. Each of these guys can fire up a crowd, if not keep their interest. ***1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Jeff Cobb vs. Bad Luck Fale
“I’m the big islander here!” shouted Bad Luck Fale at Jeff Cobb, inspiring no one — not even Cobb, who took a beatdown that seemed to tire everyone. Then he hit a superkick, suplex, and freaking Tour of the Islands to big Fale and won. A bad match. *1/2
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito
Tanahashi wore a ponytail to the ring and you just know Naito was grabbing at it all the time. Tanahashi himself landed a reverse crossbody in the Naito pose — just guys having fun and poking fun and casually brilliantly wrestling. Naito went for the arm, Tanahashi the leg, and before anyone realized 20 minutes had gone by and they were locked in the throws of an elbow exchange. Naito ate a High Fly Flow while standing like a champion but avoided one while lying down, then cradled Tanahashi for a near fall before Tanahashi cradled him for the actual fall a minute later. The Ace has still got tricks!
Tanahashi and Naito are older and pacing themselves and mostly just played the hits but they’re still so good at this. Plus it smoked their New Japan Cup match earlier in the year. ****
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 6 (7/26/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block B: Great O-Khan vs. Chase Owens
Before the bell Chase Owens threw salt at the eyes of the Great O-Khan and the Korakuen Hall crowd clapped. When he did a slingshot Codebreaker in the corner, they clapped. When the referee caught him using ropes for leverage on a cradle, they clapped. When he hit a package piledriver and beat O-Khan 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring, they clapped. **
2. G1 Climax – Block C: EVIL vs. KENTA
EVIL offered a handshake to start, as if KENTA hasn’t been through it all before. Of course, KENTA accepted and almost got dropped – the idiot. This heel vs. heel match went more for laughs over wrestling and once in a while it succeeded. KENTA used a crutch and book to beat on EVIL while EVIL used Dick Togo, I guess. *3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Lance Archer vs. Tom Lawlor
“Filthy” Tom Lawlor is new to New Japan, and he entered in a pair of daisy dukes that had another pair of daisy dukes underneath it. He displayed all the offense one might expect from a guy who spent his formative years in the UFC, and while it didn’t always click with Murderhawk Archer, it did result in a Pounce being countered with a neck lock. A decent introduction to Tom Lawlor’s moves moves if not Tom Lawlor himself. ***
4. G1 Climax – Block D: David Finlay vs. Juice Robinson
I just watched a 25-minute FinnJuice Battle and think I loved it. Juice stayed on the arm all match while Finlay made the most of his openings and came out looking like a bigger star. When he back body dropped out of a piledriver on the floor, he threw Juice into the guardrail not once but four separate times. Juice hit a Pulp Friction, Finlay kicked out. Juice hit the floor piledriver, Finlay kept going. Juice brought in the U.S. Title, Finlay revealed he was hiding a shillelagh (dad’s old gimmick) and clonked him in the face. Finlay covered but picked Juice up at 2 so he could win the right way: with his finisher, the Trash Panda.
They got the time and space for a main event and delivered in ways I didn’t think they were capable, even if they really didn’t do anything new. ****
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 7 (7/27/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: Will Ospreay vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Will Ospreay over-selling Yujiro’s offense was a stretch, but I’d be lying to you if I said this didn’t get pretty good towards the end. At one point Yujiro kicked out of a 450 splash, put the referee in the way of Will’s Hidden Blade, punched Will in the balls, and got a credible near fall off a DDT. This is wrestling. ***
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano vs. Bad Luck Fale
Not good then, not good now. Yano tried to coax Fale into getting counted out but Fale didn’t take the bait, then he did, and then he won anyways. DUD
3. G1 Climax – Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. Aaron Henare
Aaron Henare was feeling it tonight, bringing all the cool offense like a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb and Spin Kick Outta Nowhere before he was caught with a Hirooki Goto comeback. Matches like this aren’t must-see but they can also exemplify the best of the G1, where a new guy shows out and old guy proves he’s still got it. Aaron brought the offense and Goto the match structure – it was very good. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Tama Tonga
Ishii didn’t take Tama Tonga seriously for a while in this Korakuen Hall main event, then a vertical suplex turned the tide. Good effort, solid match – they didn’t have enough to keep the 20 minutes interesting but only when it approached 20 minutes did it seem any good. Highlights included Ishii smoothly countering a Stun Gun with a backdrop suplex and Tonga running full speed into a lariat. ***1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 8 (7/30/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. David Finlay
Shingo will bully you, hurt you, but he’ll also make sure you’re the talk of the town after having a great match and – as displayed here – he might just put you over too. What a complex guy. Young David managed to kick out of most of Shingo’s stuff before getting the upset win after a couple cutters out of the corner then a cradle. ***1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block A: JONAH vs. Tom Lawlor
For their second matches, Lawlor still comes off as a guy just excited to be here while JONAH is adapting more to the kicking ass part of Japanese wrestling. As Lawlor asked for affection in between kicks and elbows, JONAH earned it by powerbombing the shit out of him and dropping a huge splash. ***
3. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. Great O-Khan
It was like they were trying to get to know each other. They rolled around for 5 minutes, accepted elbows to the face from each other, and tried to put their signatures to good use. O-Khan seemed more into his shtick than his wrestling but this was good, or at least parts of it were. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Any Tana/ZSJ match after the New Japan Cup 2018 Finals is kind of just a bonus, but quality wrestling nonetheless and better than most alternatives. Plus I hear ZSJ talks all kinds of shit in his backstage interviews, so that’s fun too. ZSJ targeted the arm and got an unreal near fall after rolling through a High Fly Flow into a Japanese leg roll clutch. Real serious but occasionally charming as heck pro wrestling. ***3/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 9 (7/31/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Juice Robinson
Juice attacked before the bell, whipped YOSHI into the guardrail, attempted to maim him with a powerbomb on the bare floor… I mean this guy was a real jerk. YOSHI fought back with chops and general fighting spirit and it occasionally got exciting. ***1/4
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Jay White vs. Chase Owens
White tried to bribe Chase, but got a stiff knee to the temple – a lesson for everyone, though Jay did eventually take over and win the match. I’ve got to think about this one. **3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Bad Luck Fale
One of those matches that should work in theory, but only has like once – maybe not even that. Maybe they never made it happen. Another day, another Money Clip… **3/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. EVIL
EVIL launched Naito into the commentary table early then did Naito’s pose, then Naito rallied back with the familiar Naito playbook. Dick Togo and a forever Texas Cloverleaf set him back and they almost lost it on a piledriver through the table, but on everything Naito powered through. An uninspired, occasionally good main event. For Naito vs. EVIL that is a little bit incredible. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 10 (8/2/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Great-O-Khan
I don’t have a good read on the more restrained O-Khan in Black Pants yet and didn’t have a better one after this, but this good old-fashioned slugfest worked for me. Ishii was Ishii while O-Khan kept up on elbows and lariats and displayed flashes of greatness whenever he had to fire up for a comeback, including the sequence that led to his eventual win. ***1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano vs. Tom Lawlor
Lawlor tries to trade Yano copies of Sister Act 1 and 2 on DVD, his continuing effort to enamor himself with a new audience. I remember when Josh Barnett showed up speaking Japanese but at least he choked Nagata out, you know? Yano seems more competitive than usual in this G1, which puts any viewer watching all the matches in a real pickle. *
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. SANADA
Armdrags, high dropkicks, the occasional roar… here are two babyfaces in search of the next big step. This was a really good effort on the way there that ticked all the boxes beyond reaching any sort of real… climax. ***3/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. KENTA
Here are two guys who just piss each other off. It’s a great dynamic, though they’re too limited in variety and general durability to make the most of the near 20-minute mark they almost reached. KENTA stretching for time with dipshit punches and dipshit chinlocks would be better heel work if it didn’t feel like that was half the field’s shtick. ***1/4
5. G1 Climax – Block D: David Finlay vs. Will Ospreay
It’s just a few shows in but starting to look like I might have to start saying stuff like “David Finlay is having a breakout tournament.” He’s wrestling with the extra zest of a guy who is, at least. Juice, Shingo, and now Ospreay… they are all falling in the G1 Climax to David Finlay. ***3/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 11 (8/5/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: Yujiro Takahashi vs. Juice Robinson
Juice overcame both offense from Yujiro and interference from SHO before he got distracted and lost. Not very good. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Taichi vs. Chase Owens
Chase Owens beat up Taichi and flirted with his girl, then finally got kicked in the face. It was the perfect 7-minute match that continued on for double that. G1 season, you know?! **3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. Aaron Henare
They had a whole match with some excellent bits where the match would just stop short when Henare through a straight right or spin kick. Like all of us, Naito was charmed by all these examples of Henare trying so hard. There wasn’t enough energy to sustain the runtime but there was some good wrestling in here. ***
4. G1 Climax – Block A: JONAH vs. Jeff Cobb
My only complaint is they should’ve pre-discussed the color of their tights: there’s too much black-and-white in this tournament to begin with. Otherwise, they ran into each other; they lifted each other up, caught each other, and threw themselves amazing distances — if not meant to hurt, doesn’t it sound like the start of a beautiful relationship? JONAH and Cobb delivered on the promise of two of the G1’s biggest boys facing off. ****
5. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. EVIL
EVIL worked Tanahashi’s leg to setup a Texas Cloverleaf near fall before Tanahashi did the exact same. It was beautiful. Respectable main event, where Tanahashi resorted to an eye rake and eventually an inside cradle to keep up with run-ins by Dick Togo and an EVIL who occasionally was really bringing it. ***1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 12 (8/6/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo
ELP continues to try and prove himself as a heavyweight and YOSHI-HASHI is always trying to prove himself, so this ended up scrappier than you could ever imagine. YOSHI’s chops were vicious and he just kept throwing them as ELP fought back with a newfound fire that really rounded out all the spectacular dives he did. The overcompensating match of the G1 so far. ****
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Toru Yano vs. Lance Archer
“Did you hit me in the head?” asked Archer early on, as if he hadn’t been in a G1 before. Basically, they tried to counter each other out before Archer settled on beating up a young lion then using his finisher. An unenjoyable journey. *
3. G1 Climax – Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Goto and ZSJ know what you want: just good old-fashioned G1 Climax wrestling. ZSJ battered up Goto’s arm in a concerted and engaging fashion before Goto fired back with signatures and kicks. But the arm… ****
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Jay White vs. Great O-Khan
O-Khan is going through some stuff this year. Jay smashed his leg on the apron and really kind of mopped the floor with him for a while. When asked if he wanted help up later on, O-Khan actually accepted and continued to get beat on. Once he fired up and started going for the win — and when he almost got it with the claw — it got pretty compelling, then Jay clipped his leg and won. Very good but took a while. ***3/4
5. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay
Hey, Shingo and Will are at it again. Will flipped out of seven-hundred things and Shingo caught a cutter with a cutter then did a DVD. Those were just some of the cool things amid a pretty endless array of two of the most gifted wrestlers in the world just having an aggressively impressive match. They kept the hits coming right away but paced themselves too, really bringing all the fireworks for the finish. The first true must-see match of G1 32, even if it was a lot like their other matches too. ****1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 13 (8/7/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block C: EVIL vs. Aaron Henare
Henare has grown as he’s worked on his offense, but here he was back on defense and it wasn’t enough to get past EVIL (and a chair thrown at his head). ***1/4
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Tom Lawlor vs. Bad Luck Fale
Still waiting, Lawlor! He almost got counted out when Fale wedged him in the guardrail, and later — after he removed and tried to choke out Fale with the daisy dukes — he went on a pretty unimpressive run of offense that resulted in a knee to the back of Fale’s head. *1/2
3. G1 Climax – Block D: Juice Robinson vs. El Phantasmo
It’s Bullet Club vs. Bullet Club in the G1 Climax, again, and folks: they were swearing. They were also arm wrestling mid-match and recovering on dives really impressively – ELP lost his balance on one then followed it with an even wilder springboard somersault plancha. His kickout of Pulp Friction was met with sheer terror by Juice, who cut himself after ELP drove his head through a table. Just a wild night at the matches. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chase Owens
Ishii played along but jeez what a stretch for everyone involved. ***1/4
5. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. JONAH
Let’s make a star! Okada got knocked around by Cobb early, took him to the ramp but got knocked around there too. When Okada finally managed a DDT on the floor, he looked spent. After a tope con hilo, he just laid down.
Then Okada tried a bodyslam for some reason before running into a spear then senton bomb. He managed a dropkick but lifted JONAH up top, so JONAH kicked him away and jumped on him. The plot was definitely about Okada fighting a monster, but it also might’ve been about how Okada is sometimes a dum-dum.
He managed to hit everything to lead to the Rainmaker, but opted for a German suplex when JONAH kept refusing it. JONAH then headbutted his ass, caught a missile dropkick with a powerbomb then powerbombed him and hit a big splash for one of the biggest reactions yet post-COVID.
JONAH’s post-match promo was incredible too, at least for anyone who likes a confident mission statement in their pro wrestling:
“I don’t see time as a linear thing… The past, the present and the future are all happening at the same time. They say if you shine a light bright enough it will be seen for millions and millions of years… and tonight, I shined the brightest light ever when I beat Okada!” ****1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 14 (8/9/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. Yujiro Takahashi
I remember a match where these two over-performed against each other, but after a look more exhaustive than I was hoping I’m sure that was a dream – or worse. YOSHI-HASHI can step up in singles, Yujiro I’m still not sure. It evened out to a very average 13 minutes of wrestling. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: SANADA vs. Chase Owens
After a Paradise Lock, Chase Owens competed with SANADA. I think the main problem is that while many of his G1 singles matches are competent, there’s nothing Chase Owens brings to their beginning or end to distinguish them from anything else. The matches aren’t bad, just weaker versions of everything else + a beer belly. ***
3. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Taichi
Amid a rock solid G1 match, each was occasionally possessed by Takashi Iizuka’s old Iron Fingers. Like the Juice/ELP match a night before, I may not recommend it to just anyone but I’m glad they were trying something. The fingers killed enough time that it just felt seamless when they turned it up and started throwing bombs. ***1/2
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Lance Archer vs. JONAH
Not as cool as JONAH’s last two efforts but still plenty of big boys beating each other up. Archer hit a Pounce and JONAH rebounded with a body block, and there was a real buzz in the crowd as JONAH seemed primed to win with another splash. Then: Archer hit a step-up knee, which knocked JONAH to the floor and led to an uninspired countout conclusion. ***1/4
5. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. KENTA
Bits and pieces of vintage Naito and KENTA goodness that were just moments within a much longer, slower match. For two guys who are really good at all the non-wrestling parts of wrestling, they sure like to wrestle for really long periods of time. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 15 (8/10/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: David Finlay vs. El Phantasmo
Here they are, the breakout boys! Are they still breaking out? Not really. They had a decent little contest here that was reacted to politely enough. ELP provided more high-flying than your average David Finlay match, which was never all that grounded to begin with. ***
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Great O-Khan
I liked the part when they were trading strikes then O-Khan opted for a judo throw. Otherwise, can we just call this a clash of styles? O-Khan put Tama in his Eliminator submission for a good while until he lifted him up for a chokeslam, which Tama countered into a Stun Gun for 3. Eh. **3/4
3. G1 Climax – Block C: EVIL vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
ZSJ used young lion Kosei Fujita as a (hilarious) decoy before the match, then appeared from behind the curtain and used the mayhem to beat EVIL in a minute – fabulous! N/A
4. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tom Lawlor
The best Tom Lawlor match I’ve seen remains the one he had with Yuji Nagata at Windy City Riot where they stuck mostly to the mat, but they got this cooking towards the end. Lawlor hasn’t settled on an identity enough to distinguish this from any other good Okada match, but he wasn’t dragging Okada down either. He stayed on Okada’s arm for most of the match before going down to not a Rainmaker but a flash rollup. ***3/4
5. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto
These two are just masters of the craft. Really. Most matches follow the same recipe – Tanahashi’s leg work carried most of this, while Goto kept attempting comebacks. It made sense. It worked.
One of those comeback attempts came in the form of a surprise clothesline, but it wasn’t just that: Goto watched Tana hit the ropes, then hit the ropes himself and tried his own clothesline, which Tanahashi ducked. When Tanahashi turned around in wait for what would likely be another clothesline, Goto utilized a rolling version of the clothesline to surprise Tanahashi and take him down.
Tanahashi has been cagier than ever this tournament – early on when he backed Goto into the ropes, he skipped the clean break and punched him right in the gut. He’s used a small package to win a couple times, and he tried it here – for a big near fall.
The tournament has been waiting for someone to actually take this cagey bastard to his limit, and Goto did here. The crowd rallied behind him and his lack of success (plus a bloody mouth) before he finally was able to get Tana to fall. These two won’t be around forever but my goodness are they still good. Two bros. Two pros. ****1/2
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 16 (8/13/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block C: KENTA vs. Aaron Henare
This was the G1 match where both participants decided they’d hold back on all their strikes until the last minute. Thought that was odd. They flubbed a Blue Thunder bomb too. Henare tapped to a crossface. KENTA is basically Jado. **3/4
2. G1 Climax – Block A: Jeff Cobb vs. Toru Yano
Yano didn’t show at first, then when the referee began to count him out he snuck up from behind — this trickster! Cobb got rolled up by Yano in the ring apron and looked like a freaking idiot. Then he did a dropkick with his hands tied behind his back and looked kind of cool. There’s been worse Yano matches in this G1. Longer ones too. **
3. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Yujiro tried to attack before the bell but Shingo said NO, not now. Pieter teased him with her body and Shingo MAYBE, but not yet. Yujiro used a chair and Shingo finally said YES, I will accept your stretch of offensive maneuvers.
That’s what we call storytelling, and SHO was there too. Eventually Shingo threw a clothesline through Yujiro’s chair, threw the chair at SHO’s face, and won the match. This wasn’t great but was good enough until the finish, which was. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block D: Will Ospreay vs. YOSHI-HASHI
Here were two guys not known for being tough guys acting real tough. Ironically it didn’t really work until they were holding each other’s hand and throwing elbows. YOSHI kicked out of an OsCutter, ducked a Hidden Blade, caught another OsCutter with a kick then did a Canadian Destroyer for 2. It all led to him just kind of laying in wait for two more elbows to the back of the head. ***
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Jay White vs. Taichi
Jay White talked shit and suckered Taichi in with sumo spots, then Gedo grabbed and dragged Miho Abe by the hair at ringside. “Come on, Taichi, your damsel in distress… is in distress!” was a great line out of a dumb situation. Taichi ripped his pants off and looked like a badass for a minute, then all the interference caught up to him. This is New Japan Pro Wrestling. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax 32 Night 17 (8/14/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. David Finlay
YOSHI is so mean with his chops sometimes. They do come off better than the dropkick and neckbreaker he does. When he kicked out of a Blue Thunder bomb they acted like it was some dramatic moment, then David tried his take on the Acid Drop which YOSHI countered with a cradle for 3. Everyone seemed tired. **1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block B: Taichi vs. Great-O-Khan
They went ahead and sort of had a whole sumo match here, with genuine elation after Taichi managed the first takedown. O-Khan eventually grabbed Taichi’s face with the Claw, which he held onto even as Taichi was doing takedowns. A fun match!***
3. G1 Climax – Block A: Tom Lawlor vs. Jeff Cobb
Early in the match, Tom Lawlor jumped up to hit a knee and got slammed down. He tried a sleeper hold and got dropped outside. Tried a triangle choke and got powerbombed on the apron. Sometimes the message is right there, you know? Eventually he kicked and kneed Cobb enough to get an unconvincing win. **3/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. KENTA
KENTA beat on Tanahashi using the guardrail, a bodyscissors, and a crutch. None of it seemed to be a match for some good solid leg work but kept trying the GTS too, and eventually was able to down a fatigued Tanahashi with that. Their match earlier this year at Wrestle Kingdom was really only good because of a big ladder bump; without that all that was left was a pretty straightforward match that was too slow to really recommend. ***1/4
NJPW G1 Climax Night 18 (8/16/22)
1. G1 Climax – Block D: Will Ospreay vs. Juice Robinson
They started on the floor and stayed there for a while. By the time they got back inside they looked properly spent, which led to a fun finish. Juice’s neckbreaker on the guardrail and Will’s apron sunset flip powerbomb were very cool and they packed in a ton of near falls (and the U.S. Title) for the close. ***1/2
2. G1 Climax – Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo
Junior heavyweight becoming a heavyweight takes on the guy who just successfully did it— it’s a tale that’s not as old as time — pretty recent actually. ELP brought an assault of impressive dives which ended when Shingo started punching, including one punch that stopped an ELP tope cold. The finish included an exasperated Shingo powering through as ELP kicked out of all sorts of things; late in the match it seemed like ELP was just accepting the punishment as if it that was somehow his only route to victory. Then it actually was, which I thought was kind of neat. ELP isn’t my favorite but there’s talent that made it very easy to Shingo make some magic (and maybe a new star? I don’t know. I don’t decide these things). ****1/4
3. G1 Climax – Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. EVIL
EVIL struck from behind before the bell, and Goto fought back with not only his bow staff but his heavy expensive jacket. I believe both had no chance of advancing so they just brawled away in search of a future program. Goto’s spinning wheel kick in the corner is still gorgeous and he seemed to be finding a way out of the EVIL interference, but then he got kicked in the balls. ***1/4
4. G1 Climax – Block C: Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Attitude! Even before the bell. Attempts! At winning right away. Cradles cradles cradles! Much inoki Driver countered with a Destino tease that actually became a roll up for the 120-second Naito victory. Watching ZSJ wrestle for a while is great but the G1 sprints he had with Naito and EVIL were, too.
5. G1 Climax – Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA
Awesome 10-minute match that was basically the close of some longer, more boring match. They got a major near fall just a minute into the match off a cradle similar to the one that ended Naito/ZSJ, then just went from there. Last night, no holding back. ****
6. G1 Climax – Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Jay White
Jay White and Tama Tonga climbing up the New Japan ranks never really rocked my world but in the last couple years my standards have lowered or they’ve figured something out. Jay was mean on offense, just aggressively chopping and raking Tama’s eyes and other assorted things that are mean. Tama cut a babyface comeback that included a massive Stinger Splash and, well, Jado and Gedo going at it on the floor.
In the mayhem they ended up making the possibility of Tonga winning with the Stun Gun seem so possible, so exciting, so close yet so far, that when it actually happened I felt like I had watched something excellent. ****
7. G1 Climax – Block A: JONAH vs. Bad Luck Fale
Not Jonah’s biggest or best match during this tournament but considering it was such a fine Bad Luck Fale match, it may have been his most impressive performance. Think about that. ***
8. G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer
Archer hadn’t done much in Block A in the main event with Okada, he showed up cloaked in a hood all mysterious-like before starting the match with a chokeslam and just going off. The man they call the Murderhawk Monster slammed the back of Okada’s head against the guardrail, did a cannonball into the guardrail that flipped out commentary, bodyslammed a Noojie on top of Okada, and kept yelling at the crowd to shut up even though no one was saying anything. Incredible work, and that was before the awesome Okada comeback. Great, efficient, Okada advances. ****1/4
G1 Climax 32 Night 19 (8/17/22)
As leaders in their respective Blocks, advancing to the G1 Climax 32’s Semi-Finals were fellow good guys Kazuchika Okada and Tama Tonga and fellow … I don’t know – Complex guys? Daredevils? Tetsuya Naito and Will Ospreay.
1. G1 Climax – Semi Final: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tama Tonga
Tama Tonga is just a guy that stuck around, the likable enough colleague who worked hard enough and wrestled enough respectable matches that he ended up one-on-one against Kazuchika Okada at the Budokan and one match away from the G1 Climax Finals. It’s a heck of a world, and we’re just living in it.
Tama began with dropkicks but Okada found an opening and started playing the hits, which put Tama in the natural (!?) underdog role. Outside of one weird spot where he kind of gave a spinebuster to himself, I thought Tama did a great job throughout the match bringing the babyface fire while balancing alternating roles of guy trying to keep up with Okada and guy who actually might be able to.
Each buddy held their gut in pain as they headed to a wild finish highlighted by Tama Tonga’s many near falls and Okada resorting to not one but two sneaky cradles. I don’t think “Big Match Tama” is a thing that will take off anytime soon, but he was more than capable here against Okada in a great G1 semi-final. Never did hit the Stun Gun either. ****1/2
2. G1 Climax – Semi Final: Tetsuya Naito vs. Will Ospreay
Sometimes the professional wrestling just makes you step back and go, “whoa.” Anyone watching knows the deal with these two or they will in the first thirty seconds, and for 20 minutes they did all their stuff kind of perfectly. It was a see-saw battle of guys who are really good at combining their insane feats of athleticism with some kind of logic to create epic main events. They are two wrestlers known for kind of always going for epic, but it’s a match like this that’ll help you realize that even when they’re going “all out” they’re still saving stuff for the really big matches, if not the spots then just the pace and flow.
Neck work filled in gaps between some heated G1 action before a standing Spanish Fly led to an elbow exchange that Naito went “hey!” during to a reverse Frankensteiner to a StormBreaker countered with Destino and somehow, someway, it kind of all made sense. Will followed up some uncomfortably heavy breathing with a ridiculous kick to the side of Naito’s face and a Hidden Blade delivered like he was scrambling for an offensive rebound. Naito’s Destino and a version of Ospreay’s Hidden Blade to the face were kicked out of at the last second, then Ospreay’s StormBreaker moved him onto Okada. Again: whoa. ****1/2
Best Block Matches
- Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. JONAH (8/7/22)
- Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto (8/10/22)
- Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. Will Ospreay (8/6/22)
- Block D: Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo (8/16/22)
- Block A: JONAH vs. Jeff Cobb (8/5/22)
- Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Lance Archer (8/16/22)
- Block D: David Finlay vs. Juice Robinson (7/26/22)
- Block D: YOSHI-HASHI vs. El Phantasmo (8/6/22)
- Block C: Hirooki Goto vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (8/6/22)
- Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Taichi (7/17/22)
Honorable Mentions: Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. SANADA (8/16/22), Block C: Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito (7/24/22), Block B: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jay White (7/23/22), Block B: Tama Tonga vs. Jay White (8/16/22), G1 Climax – Block A: Kazuchika Okada vs. Tom Lawlor (8/10/22)
Best to Worst Wrestlers of G1 32, Statistically
- Kazuchika Okada (114)
- Will Ospreay (98)
- Shingo Takagi (73)
- Tomohiro Ishii (61)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi (60)
- Hirooki Goto (56)
- Tama Tonga (56)
- Tetsuya Naito (56)
- El Phantasmo (54)
- Jay White (47)
- JONAH (46)
- SANADA (42)
- Juice Robinson (38)
- Taichi (35)
- David Finlay (34)
- Lance Archer (33)
- Zack Sabre Jr. (32)
- YOSHI-HASHI (32)
- Jeff Cobb (21)
- Aaron Henare (21)
- EVIL (18)
- KENTA (16)
- Great O-Khan (13)
- Tom Lawlor (13)
- Yujiro Takahashi (8)
- Chase Owens (8)
- Toru Yano (4)
- Bad Luck Fale (4)
Final G1 Standings
Block A:
1. Kazuchika Okada [10]
2. Jonah [8]
3. Lance Archer [6]
-. Jeff Cobb[6]
-. Tom Lawlor [6]
6th Bad Luck Fale [4]
7th Toru Yano [2]
Block B:
1st Tama Tonga [10]
2nd Jay White [10]
3rd SANADA [6]
4th Taichi [4]
– . Great-O-Khan [4]
-. Tomohiro Ishii [4]
-. Chase Owens [4]
Block C:
1. Tetsuya Naito [8]
2. Zack Sabre Jr. [8]
3. Hiroshi Tanahashi [6]
-. Hirooki Goto [6]
-. KENTA [6]
-. EVIL [6]
7. Aaron Henare [2]
Block D:
1. Will Ospreay [8]
2. Shingo Takagi [6]
-. Yujiro Takahashi [6]
-. David Finlay [6]
-. YOSHI-HASHI[6]
-. El Phantasmo [6]
7. Juice Robinson [4]
