Csonka’s NJPW G1 29 (Night Thirteen) Review

Csonka’s NJPW G1 29 (Night Thirteen/Block B) Review

OFFICIAL RESULTS
– Bad Luck Fale defeated KENTA @ 7:30 via pin [*¾]
– Zack Sabre Jr defeated Lance Archer @ 10:55 via pin [***½]
– EVIL defeated Will Ospreay @ 17:15 via pin [****½]
– Kota Ibushi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi @ 15:55 via pin [****½]
– SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada @ 29:48 via pin [****¼]

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KENTA vs. Bad Luck Fale: They brawl right away, KENTA lays in kicks and Jado hits him with the kendo. Fale follows with elbow drops, and then the Tongan massage parlor. Fale then slams him to the barricade, rolls back in and hopes or a countout. KENTA rolls back in and Fale chokes him out in the ropes. KENTA tires to fire up by Fale slaps him back down. KENTA counters the slam, stuns Fale off the ropes and the flying clothesline follows. KENTA starts attacking the knees with dropkicks, takes out Jado and the DDT follows for 2. The missile dropkick follows and then running boots connect. The Shibata dropkick follows and the top rope double stomp gets 2. KENTA looks forgo to sleep, but Fale is too big and hits a clothesline for 2. The grenade is countered into a triangle, transitions into game over and Owens takes the ref, KENTA takes out Jado but Fale cradles him for the win. Bad Luck Fale defeated KENTA @ 7:30 via pin [*¾] Typical Fale bullshit match with KRNTA working hard.

Zack Sabre Jr vs. Lance Archer: It’s a battle of Suzuki-gun and for Minoru Suzuki’s heart, if he has one. Sabre plays keep away to begin, making Archer chase him. Archer finally catches him, works a full nelson but Sabre escapees and Archer takes him down. He works into counters but can’t trip up Archer. He takes him down but Archer kips up and takes him down. Archer follows with strikes, Sabre fires back with uppercuts but Archer mows him down. He follows with a slam, lays the boots to him and chokes him out. Sabre counters out but Archer follows with strikes and another slam. The springboard splash misses and Sabre pulls a heel hook. Archer makes the ropes and Sabre follows with kicks, but Archer shoves him down. Sabre locks on a sleeper, but Archer slams his way out and follows with kicks. He dumps Sabre but Sabre ties him up in the ropes, locks on a heel hook and then follows with uppercuts. He counters the pounce with a guillotine but Archer counters out. The STO follows and Archer now goes old school, but Sabre crotches him and works a hanging guillotine up top. Archer escapes and the high cross follows for 2. Sabre counters the chokeslam into a triangle, transitions to an omoplata, but Archer makes the ropes. Sabre lays in kicks, but Archer cuts him off with a powerbomb for 2. Sabre fights off the claw, gets the octopus hold, Archer looks for a claw but Sabre gets an arm bar, up kicks and then runs into the black hole slam for 2. Sabre counters the claw, but Archer hits a big right and a chokeslam but pulls up Sabre. He takes him up top and blackout is countered into a cradle for the win. Zack Sabre Jr defeated Lance Archer @ 10:55 via pin [***½] This was a really good clash of power vs. skill, and a really fun outing overall with Archer delivering again. He’s losing but constantly impressing.

Will Ospreay vs. EVIL: EVIL attacks with kicks, Ospreay counters back and looks to work the arm. EVIL rakes the eyes, but Ospreay picks up the pace and hits a RANA. EVIL grabs a chair, tosses it in and ospreay gives it to he ref, EVIL attacks and misses the senton but EVIL counters the running shooting star and follows with a shoulder tackle. EVIL dumps him and EVIL follows and wraps the chair around his head and the baseball swing spot follows. EVIL tales a seat and then rolls him back in. He follows with clubbing strikes, and then a neck breaker for 2. EVIL grounds things, working the neck of Ospreay. Ospreay fights back, connects with chops but EVIL cuts him off. Ospreay fights off the suplex and counters it into a stunner. He follows with strikes, a jawbreaker and then a flying forearm. Ospreay hits the springboard forearm and covers for 2. The Robinson special misses, kicks by EVIL and he suplexes him to the buckles and covers for 2. Ospreay fights off the German, follows with uppercuts and EVIL fires back with a clothesline. He takes him up top and follows him up. Ospreay fights off the superplex, follows with strikes and knocks EVIL to the mat. EVIL hides behind the ref, but Ospreay hits the back handspring kick. EVIL powders and Ospreay hits the Sasuke special. Back in and Ospreay heads up top and follows with a coast to coast dropkick for 2. Storm breaker is countered, and they work into counters, enziguri by Ospreay but EVIL rebounds with a big lariat. EVIL follows with strikes, they trade and Ospreay fires up as they throw bombs. Ospreay is down, but counters darkness falls once but EVIL gets it the second time for 2. Everything is EVIL is countered into a powerbomb for 2. The hook kick follows, and hidden blade misses but Ospreay fires back with kicks until EVIL hits a clothesline but then runs into a Spanish fly for 2. The oscutter connects for a GREAT near fall. Ospreay sets and looks for storm breaker, but EVIL counters out and Ospreay counters the German, hits the Robinson special and the super oscutter is countered into a German and another. The huge lariat connects for only 2. Everything is EVIL finally finishes Ospreay. EVIL defeated Will Ospreay @ 17:15 via pin [****½] This was absolutely excellent stuff, with them playing off of the power vs. speed dynamic very well. They constantly escalated the action, delivered a hot closing stretch with a hit and invested crowd, and there were some absolutely great near falls throughout with a lot of doubt down the stretch in who could win. Just great stuff from both guys.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kota Ibushi: They lock up and work into counters, as Tanahashi drags him to the mat. Ibushi counters out and takes Tanahashi down. Tanahashi fights to his feet, and Ibushi hits a dropkick. Tanahashi then grounds the action, attacking the injured ankle of Ibushi. He cranks away at the ankle, ties him up and keeps Ibushi grounded. Ibushi fights and makes the ropes. Tanahashi lays the boots to him and Ibushi fights of the dragon screw and follows with a mid-kick. Ibushi firs away with a flurry of strikes and kicks, and the standing moonsault follows for 2. Tanahashi fires back, takes out the knee and follows wit a dragon screw. He hits another, and the cloverleaf follows. Ibushi fights and Tanahashi pulls him back center ring and sits down deep on it. Ibushi powers up and makes the ropes. Tanahashi stomps away at the knees of Ibushi, hits the dragon screw in the ropes and Ibushi spills to the floor. Tanahashi up top but Ibushi counters up and hits the super RANA for 2. Tanahashi fights of the lawn dart but Ibushi counters back with the double stomp. The lawn dart to the buckles follows, and Ibushi looks for the dead lift German, and connects, covering for 2. Tanahashi counters last ride, hits strikes, but Ibushi lights him up with palm strikes, Tanahashi slaps him back and they slap the shit out of each other. Ibushi is rocked, but fires back with a huge lariat; both men are down. Ibushi hits last ride and covers for 2. Ibushi looks for kamigoye, but Tanahashi counters into twist and shout. Hits a second and then a third. Sling blade follows for 2. Tanahashi heads up top and hits aces high. Back up and the high fly flow misses! Ibushi follows with bom a ye, and that gets 2. Kamigoye is countered by a Tanahashi cradles for 2.Head kick by Ibushi and another follows; kamigoye finishes it. Kota Ibushi defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi @ 15:55 via pin [****½] This was another excellent match, with Tanahashi going way harder than he likely should, as they played well off of previous matches, and Ibushi vanquishing the ghosts of last year’s G1 final by beating one of his gods. In shocking news, everything clicked here, Tanahashi continues to make the most of what he has left, doing all the right things at the right time, while Ibushi is just an electric performer. The crowd was into it big time, the closing stretch was great and in the end, Ibushi picks up a definitive win he needed to stay in play for the block.

SANADA vs. Kazuchika Okada: They play to the crowd and work into counters, Okada looks to work the arm and then takes him down. SANADA counters into a short arm bar, and back to the feet. SANADA follows with body shots, but Okada follows with a shoulder tackle and hip toss. They end in a stalemate; it feels like they are working on pace for a draw or draw tease. They lock up and work to the ropes. They work into counters and SANADA follows with a dropkick. He follows with elbow strikes, but Okada fights off the paradise lock and SANADA hits a back elbow for 2. He grounds the action, Okada escapes and follows with a running back elbow. The corner elbow and DDT connects for 2. He hits a slam, and heads up top, leaps over SANADA and then dropkicks him to the floor. Okada follows him out and whips SANADA to the barricade and the draping DDT follows, Back in and Okada hits a sliding dropkick. Okada follows with uppercuts but SANADA dropkicks the knee. Okada fires back but SANADA hits the dropkick and the plancha follows. Back in and SANADA gets the paradise lock. The dropkick follows to free Okada and the cover gets 2. SANADA follows with elbows, but Okada hits the flapjack. He follows with kicks, but SANADA counters the dropkick and hits a basement dropkick and belly to back suplex for 2 as we hit the halfway point. Okada cuts off the missile dropkick with the air raid neck breaker. The slam follows, Okada up top and he scores with the elbow drop. Rainmaker pose. The rainmaker is countered and SANADA get skull end. Okada fights and walks up the ropes and hits the tombstone. The rainmaker is countered into an anarchist suplex by SANADA and both men are down. They trade strikes, working to their feet and SANADA fires up as Okada talks shit. Okada dares him to keep throwing so he does as we hit 20-minutes. They trade, SANADA fires back with uppercuts and Okada answers back. Okada is down, but comes back with dropkicks. The rainmaker is countered but SANADA counters the tombstone into skull end. Okada fights, and SANADA hits the tiger suplex for 2, The TKO follows, and SANADA covers for 2. He heads up top and the moonsault misses, lands on his feet and then follows with skull end, but Okada counters out into the short rainmaker. He keeps wrist control and hits another. Okada fires up and the rainmaker proper is countered by a SANADA rainmaker. Skull end follows, he swings him and drops down with the hooks in. Okada rolls, trying to escape, does and fights for the ropes but SANADA hangs on and gets skull end back, drops back down and Okada fades, pops out and SANADA grabs it back again. Final three minutes now, Okada fades, SANADA releases and the moonsault eats knees. 90-seconds left, the crowd rallies for SANADA. Final minute, Okada hits the dropkick and rainmaker is countered into a pop up cutter. The moonsault connects, hits another and SANADA wins! SANADA defeated Kazuchika Okada @ 29:48 via pin [****¼] SANADA finally gets the monkey off of his back and pins Okada after several failures to do so. Ina trivia note, the last IWGP champions have started 6-0 and then failed on Osaka. While it felt slow at times early on, the work was always good and you felt that they were going long for a draw or draw tease. Overall they delivered a great match, with a really well done and dramatic closing stretch and they kept the crowd throughout.

G1 29 Block A
* Kazuchika Okada: (6-1), 12pts
* Kota Ibushi: (5-2), 10pts.
* KENTA: (4-3), 8pts.
* Hiroshi Tanahashi: (4-3), 8pts
* EVIL: (4-3), 8pts.

~~ELIMINATED~~
* Zack Sabre Jr: (3-4), 6pts.
* SANADA: (3-4), 6pts.
* Lance Archer: (2-5), 4pts.
* Will Ospreay: (2-5), 4pts.
* Bad Luck Fale: (2-5), 4pts.

G1 29 Block B
* Jon Moxley: (5-1), 10pts.
* Big Tom Ishii: (3-3), 6pts.
* Toru Yano: (3-3), 6pts.
* Tetsuya Naito: (3-3), 6pts.
* Juice Robinson: (3-3), 6pts.
* Hirooki Goto: (3-3), 6pts.
* Jay White: (3-3), 6pts.
* Adorable Hawaiian Buddha Jeff Cobb: (3-3), 6pts.
* Taichi: (2-4), 4pts.
* Shingo: (2-4), 4pts.

The 411 on Wrestling Podcast returns to the 411 Podcasting Network for episode 40. On the show, the good brother, Jeremy Lambert, joins 411’s Larry Csonka and the guys will discuss whether or not Kevin Owens is the next Stone Cold, look into if Impact Wrestling should go all the way with Tessa Blanchard as world champion, Tenille Dashwood signing with Impact, catch up on NJPW G1 29 reviews and much more. The show is approximately 78-minutes long.

* Intro
* Breaking Down Whether or Not Kevin Owens Is The Next Stone Cold: 1:40
* WWE Smackville Review: 9:20
* Should Impact Wrestling Go All The Way With Tessa Blanchard as World Champion?: 18:15
* Tenille Dashwood Signs With Impact Wrestling: 24:35
* Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara Announced For AEW’s TNT Debut: 29:00
* WWE Studios & Netflix Teaming For a Big Show Sitcom: 38:10
* NJPW G1 29 Night Nine Review: 42:40
* NJPW G1 29 Night Ten Review: 48:51
* NJPW G1 29 Night Eleven Review: 1:01:30

You can subscribe and listen to the 411 on Wrestling Podcast via the above player on Transistor, or on the following platforms:

* iTunes
* Spotify
* Stitcher
* Google Play

– End Scene.

– Thanks for reading.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Despite the usual Fale clunker, night Thirteen of the NJPW G1 29 was a really good show with three must see matches, and Lance archer continuing to deliver a strong tournament run, while Okada suffers his first loss.