Second of sold out double header
The second night of a sold out double header in Korakuen hall sees the seventh matches in B Block action. With the league approaching its culmination, who can shift themselves into a top three spot?
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Main event: Hirooki Goto (3–3) vs David Finlay (4–2)
The main event spot pits the 4–2 David Finlay in with a chance to stay in the lead of the block and greatly increase his chances of making the top three. That is, if he can get past a Hirooki Goto who is putting on a highly impressive run in this tournament. With one of the best bouts of the summer seeing him victorious over Konosuke Takeshita Sunday, he rides that momentum into a main event with the Global Champion.
History comes full circle several times in the career of a veteran like Goto. In 2016, his run to the G1 final ended at the hands of BULLETC LUB leader Kenny Omega. Five years ago the story of his G1 was around his match with the next leader of the Club in Switchblade Jay White, who along with Gedo had betrayed CHAOS mere months before. Now he faces the current BULLET CLUB pointman in Finlay. As the Rebel Savior has declared himself the factions greatest of all time, will Goto feel that superiority, or overthrow it?
7th Match: Yuya Uemura (3–3) vs Ren Narita (3–3)
Singles record: 12–0 Narita
Narita’s junior in experience if not age in the Noge Dojo, Uemura never beat Narita as a Young Lion. When his excursion sent him to the LA Dojo, Uemura trained under Katsuyori Shibata alongside the future HOUSE OF TORTURE member, with Shibata and Hiroshi Tanahashi both likening their work ethics and contrasting ‘sun and moon’ personalities to the relationship between Tanahashi and Shinsuke Nakamura back in the day.
Toward the end of Narita’s stint in the US, he would defeat Uemura one more time at the night of Ric Flair’s last professional wrestling match, but the two have not tangled since, and even the dark hearted Narita seems emotionally conflicted about this match. In pre tournament interviews, Narita had plenty of bile for each of his fellow competitors, but was noticeably silent about Yuya, leading to a lot of intrigue behind this bout and what it may represent. Uemura started strong, but having lost his last three in a row, can he get back on track by beating Narita for the first time in his career?
6th Match: Yota Tsuji (3–3) vs HENARE (3–3)
Singles record: 4–0 HENARE
After six matches in his campaign, HENARE has already had his career best G1, ascending to six points as he represents as NEVER Champion. Still, a loss to his United Empire teammate and World TV Champ Jeff Cobb has to be weighting on the mind of the Maori Warrior as he looks to finish strong and in the top three.
In four meetings for Tsuji with HENARE as a Young Lion, the Gene Blaster was unable to leave much of a mark. What happens this time at a critical G1 juncture for both?
5th Match: El Phantasmo (2–4) vs Konosuke Takeshita (3–3)
Despite entering this year’s tournament in a mental fog of loneliness, ELP has held this match against Takeshita in Korakuen Hall as a beacon of light. A crack of light got wider in Aichi Sunday, as he managed to roll up Yuya Uemura to get his second win of the tournament, and with takeshita falling to Hirooki Goto Sunday, he’s now just one win off the top three pace. In his adopted home of Korakuen Hall, there’s no doubt ELP will be motivated to impress in his favourite wrestling environment, but will he be able to beat the Alpha?
4th Match: Boltin Oleg (2–4) vs Jeff Cobb (4–2)
Intrigue is high from the first bell in our block matches tonight as Boltin Oleg takes on Jeff Cobb. It’s the clash of a former Olympian wrestler against a man who up to recently was ranked top five in the world in the sport. Will the snow leopard Boltin have to take a tropical Tour of the Islands, or can he freeze out the Imperial Unit in a must win bout for the Big Man From Kazakhstan?
3rd match: Los Ingobernables De Japon (Tetsuya Naito & Shingo Takagi) vs HOUSE OF TORTURE (EVIL & Dick Togo)
Shingo Takagi has been cursed with bad results in Yokohama at the hands of HOUSE OF TORTURE members ending his G1 campaigbns. In 2021, it was a double countout with Yujiro Takahashi, and last year an interference laden loss to EVIL that did him in. Shingo and EVIL meet again Thursday in Yokohama, and Takagi wants to dispel his curse; will that begin tonight?
2nd Match: Shota Umino & Tomoaki Honma vs BULLET CLUB War Dogs (Jake Lee & Gabe Kidd)
Ahead of Jake Lee’s Yokohama meeting with Shota Umino, he and Gabe Kidd team up once more in our second matchof the evening. Lee and Gabe have teamed very effectively on undercards; on enight after they faced off in block competition, will they be back on the same page?
1st Match: Just Five Guys (SANADA & TAKA Michinoku) vs United Empire (Great-O-Khan & Callum Newman)
Ahead of Great-O-Khan’s clash with a familiar foe in SANADA Thursday, tag team action gets us started. Will this match set the scene for O-Khan’s first ever win against the former World Champion?